RE-MAKING OF SPACE: HOW UIGHUR IMMIGRANTS COPED WITH THE UNFAMILIAR
Özet
Home is at the heart of daily life as a place and a special relationship therewith
and, as a notion that grants a unique source to look through the window to the notions of
attachment, desire, need and dilemma, is also the space to look into where the same
issues brought into individuals’ lives by international migration. The aim of this thesis
research is to understand Uighur immigrants’ adaptation process with the new
environment and provide an insight into the scholarly work about adaptation and
integration processes on the migratory process.
Even if those who have left their home have been able to find a new house to live
in; transforming that house into a home requires a certain time and experience. So, what
necessities that this transformation demands? If the transformation process understood
elaborately, will it be manageable in terms of it's the impact on individuals and
communities? Hence, this thesis research intends to enlighten the mentioned process by
providing an insight into knowledge of an immigrant family’s experiences in making
the unfamiliar familiar.
To comprehend the ways of how home constitutes the feeling of belongingness in
immigrants’ daily lives, thesis research starts with analyzing how migratory theories
explained the effects of migration on individuals’ lives. Then, research continues to
look through how sense of place portrays its reflection in migratory process.
Afterwards, the theoretical knowledge has been gained used for interpreting the
experiences of an immigrant family’s during their adaptation process. Finally, thesis
study completes its research by revealing the effects of home environment into
immigrants’ daily lives, and creates a basis for further discussions.
