A Tale of Two Cities: Multiple Practices of Bordering and Degrees of 'Transit' in and through Turkey

Turkey has been part of an expanding European border regime through the construct of ‘transit’. Against the essentializing use of this term, this article aims to draw attention to the varied nature of ‘transit’ migration based on ethnographic research conducted in two cities of Turkey: Edirne and Kayseri. While both cities are subject to the EU-ization of migration and asylum management, we argue that their geographical positions cause variations in how they experience EU-ization and how they receive border-crossers and refugees. Variations are further intensified by different configurations of il/legality and il/licitness in each city. We claim that neither the state nor the European border regime, as actors and producers of il/legality, can predetermine the outcome of such configurations. ‘Transit’-ing is rendered il/licit, depending on the visibility and duration of the stay of border-crossers and refugees, their impact on local economies and the attitudes of local state actors.

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