Diaspora politics in Turkish foreign policy

Research examining the relations between Türkiye’s diasporas and its state authorities has proliferated over the past several years. Today, the term ‘diaspora’ is not only a well-established idiom in Türkiye’s official language, but a fully-fledged ‘diaspora policy’ has also been put into action, scaffolded by a series of newly-established institutions that strive to engage emigrants and their children in a number of social and political fields. This chapter provides a retrospective reading of ‘diaspora’ and ‘diaspora policymaking’ and elaborates on both continuities and new dimensions that characterize the state’s engagement with the citizenry abroad since the establishment of the Republic. The chapter’s analysis canvases significant moments in Türkiye’s political life, spanning from the nation-building and citizenship projects of the Republican Türkiye, to post-1960 labor movements and recently unfolding waves of exodus from Türkiye. The chapter highlights the key factors and forces that have shaped Ankara’s diaspora policies in tandem with its foreign policy agenda and goals, including Türkiye’s bid for European Union membership. Finally, the chapter discusses more recent trends that characterize Türkiye’s diaspora-making and mobilizing policies and provides comparative insights about other countries to situate the Turkish case within a broader context and to make proposals for future policymaking.