Logistification and hyper-precarity at the intersection of migration and pandemic governance: Refugees in the Turkish labour market

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Nimer M., Rottmann S. B.

JOURNAL OF REFUGEE STUDIES, vol.35, no.1, pp.122-138, 2022 (SSCI)

• Publication Type: Article / Article
• Volume: 35 Issue: 1
• Publication Date: 2022
• Doi Number: 10.1093/jrs/feab076
• Journal Name: JOURNAL OF REFUGEE STUDIES
• Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, HeinOnline-Law Journal Library, Index Islamicus, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
• Page Numbers: pp.122-138
• Keywords: labour market, pandemic, refugee, migration, precarity, employment, governance, Turkey, inequalities, SPACE
• Istanbul University Affiliated: No

Abstract

This article analyses the governance of migration and the Covid-19 pandemic on precarious Syrian refugees in Istanbul. Drawing from a review of state policies and interviews with refugees before and after the pandemic, we argue that the intersecting governance of migration and the pandemic compounded inequalities. While refugees initially lost their employment without notice in lockdown periods, their partial lifting revealed unequal expectations towards their labour, as they were reincorporated within even more hyper-precarious labour relations. Unlike citizens who were somewhat protected by the state, refugees were under the limited care of international funders and subject to the whims of the market. Pandemic governance resulted in increased hyper-precarity and the need to rely on individual coping mechanisms for refugees. This research shows how shifting inclusion and exclusion shapes refugees' hyper-precarity related to Covid-19 governance, transforming Syrians into 'market buffers' to prevent or delay bankruptcies.