Publication
Title
A migration project in retrospect : the case of the ageing zero generation in Emirdağ
Author
Abstract
In the twentieth century, Emirdag (Turkey) witnessed extensive emigration and is now home to the 'zero generation': a group of elderly people who stayed behind when their children moved abroad. We investigate how these elderly people, with at least one child who left the country, evaluate their situation as they have grown older. Using fieldwork observations and in-depth interviews, we found that this group mainly associated the migration of their offspring with loneliness and exclusion from society, due to separation from their children and changes in the traditional family culture. The respondents clearly note a shift in the social position of family elders in Turkish culture, from highly respected to being ignored and looked down upon. While this change in status might be experienced by all elderly inhabitants of the region, feelings of distress were reinforced by an emerging discourse which suggests the migration project is a failed enterprise. The constraints their children experience in the immigrant country have led the zero generation to rely less on them and become more dependent on their own resources. Future research on ageing, migration and transnational care should focus on the different ways in which migration systems evolve, and the long-term effects on social inclusion of all generations.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Social Inclusion
Publication
2018
ISSN
2183-2803
DOI
10.17645/SI.V6I3.1508
Volume/pages
6 :3 (2018) , p. 260-269
ISI
000443123900010
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.10.2018
Last edited 02.10.2024
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