Paper details
| Paper authors | Dünya Başol |
| In panel on | Understanding Voluntary and Dignified Return in a Rapidly Changing World |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
The return of Yazidis to southeastern Turkey after decades of migration to Europe offers a critical lens through which to analyze the concepts of voluntary and dignified return. While security improvements in the region have enabled some members of the Yazidi diaspora to return, the process is anything but straightforward. Drawing on original fieldwork conducted in Yazidi villages across Batman, Mardin, and Şırnak provinces, this presentation explores how Yazidi return is shaped not only by personal and cultural motivations but also by unresolved issues of land disputes, identity erasure, and local hostility.
Yazidi returnees often face structural barriers: legal ambiguity over property ownership, lack of institutional support, and deep-rooted social stigma. Despite these obstacles, many undertake the journey back driven by a strong emotional connection to their ancestral land and fears of deportation or alienation in Europe. However, return is rarely dignified, particularly for women and youth who struggle with language barriers, identity conflict, and reintegration into socially conservative environments.
This paper argues that for return to be genuinely voluntary and dignified, policymakers must go beyond physical relocation and address the emotional, legal, and socio-cultural dimensions of reintegration. It offers recommendations for tailored, identity-sensitive policies, highlighting how internal fragmentation, and unresolved trauma further complicate Yazidi return. By centering a marginalized and underrepresented group, this study contributes to broader migration scholarship and policy debates on dignified return in post-conflict and post-exile contexts.
