Iranian Refugees in Transit

This book examines the dynamics of Iranian political refugees settling in and migrating through Turkey after the 1980 coup and how they were able to influence its asylum policies. By analysing the relationship between three main actors in Turkey after the coup in 1980 - the refugees, the UNHCR, and the Turkish state - Maral Jefroudi presents a comprehensive picture of one of the biggest migration waves in contemporary history. Taking an intersectional approach from the angle of precarity, narratives of refugees are presented in their own words as we understand their gender, class and political affiliations within Turkish socio-political context.

Bringing together interviews with refugees from the period, analysing the cultural products by and on them, and tracing their footsteps in newspapers, archives, and scholarly literature, this book presents a thorough ethnography of Iranians in transit in Turkey after the 1979 Revolution. Their story provides an example to how laws are made and challenged by the very people they are made to regulate. With the formation of the EU and its border regime Frontex, Turkey has solidified its role both as a border guard and a transit country. This book provides an introduction to understanding the dynamics of this current "refugee crisis."