MIGRANT WOMEN NEGOTIATING BORDER, WORK AND SPACE

: TURKISH AND KURDISH WOMEN IN HACKNEY, 1980 TO 2018

Abstract

This research examines the economic, social, and political contributions of Turkish and Kurdish (T/K) women in the London borough of Hackney, through an analysis of their subjective experiences and the changing social and geo-political terrain of the borough since 1980. The research is located within a theoretical framework bringing together cultural and migration studies and feminist and intersectional approaches. It places migrant women’s experiences at the centre of the study to produce new knowledge about identity, politics of difference, and displacement. The study’s timeframe – 1980-2018 – marks both an expansion of the T/K communities in Hackney and a period of rapid socio-economic change in the borough. My findings identify three key periods: 1) the arrival of T/K women in the UK and their initial employment in textile factories (1980–2000); 2) the closure of textile factories and opening of mall family-run businesses and the beginning of extensive regeneration programmes (1996–2004); 3) the re-shaping and re-defining of gendered and ethnic geographical and social boundaries as a result of Hackney’s increasing gentrification (2005 onwards). Using a combination of oral history, photo-elicitation and archival sources, the study examines how these women's personal resources from Turkey, the geographical space of Hackney, and the interplay of culture, space, and place shape their subjectivities. Additionally, it explores how these women, in turn, influence and shape the geographical space they inhabit. The thesis will make an important contribution to existing debates on transnational migration and fill a gap in the contemporary cultural studies research on work, gender, migration, and gentrification in London through its focus on a hitherto unstudied group. This knowledge can be used by a wide range of stakeholders to shape and influence policies and will contribute to achieving representativeness in knowledge production.

Date of Award	23 Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Roehampton
Sponsors	TECHNE
Supervisor	Mayra Ruiz Castro (Director of Studies) & Carrie Hamilton (Co-Supervisor)