Sociology

Since 1970s, more than 350,000 people have been dispossessed due to dam projects in Turkey (Ozkalayci and Icten 2005). The state claims 12,000 of those were relocated, while the rest had to migrate on their own (Ozkalayci and Icten 2005). Despite this scale, there have been very few attempts to study this phenomenon to date. Using the case of Tahtali Dam, this research aims to give an insight into the socio-economic and cultural effects of development-induced displacement and resettlement in Turkey.

The construction of Tahtali Dam in Izmir impounded eight settlements, displacing about 7500 people from 1400 households in 1996 (DSI, 1994). As per Resettlement Law (no2510), the displacees had two options receiving cash compensation for their lost assets and resettling on their own, or bequeathing all their compensation money toward resettlement by the state. Amongst the 600 households that had opted for state resettlement, 350 were certified as being entitled. On execution however, some of the earmarked houses were allotted to members of another community  the Kurdish. This left out 70 of the earlier qualified households not catered for. Although they were not initially part of the resettlement plan for Tahtali, these Kurdish people equally faced similar consequence of displacement during a dam project of 1992 in the south-eastern Turkey and had been waiting to be resettled since then. Pathetically, the remaining 70 entitled households, on the other hand, continually await resettlement relief 14 years after the construction of Tahtali.

This research will enquire into the displacement and resettlement issues with regards to their effects on peoples lives and livelihoods. It will explore the consequences faced over time by different groups, the adopted coping strategies, how both gender and generational roles were redefined, and how different ethnic groups responded to the new conditions. Related studies on this subject had examined how displacement led to deprivation of women by shifting cash value assets solely to husband, limiting their access to common resources or increase the violence against them (Colchester, 2000 Colson, 1995 Koenig, 1995 Pandey and Rout, 2004). Studies also revealed how displacement can influence ethnic tensions in heterogeneous groups (De Wet, 2000). This study will further investigate the Cerneas model (1997), which proposes eight impoverishment risks associated with displacement occurrence, with peculiarity to Tahtali Dam case.

The research will adopt a phenomenological approach through a field work of six months. Along with participant observation, oral history collection, in-depth interviewing and focus group discussions will be used as the main research tools. The potential informants will be reached through purposive and representative sampling in reference to gender and generation as well as socio-economic orientation and ethnic background. The research will chronicle the narratives of both the displacees resettled by the state and those who had resettled on their own and will also seek information from the relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations.

This research will hence facilitate a coherent understanding of the repercussions of the development projects in Turkey and contribute towards framing of policies to relegate their adverse effects. The findings is also expected to be of interest to a wider international audience as Turkey presents an ample range of issues that have considerable generic applicability to displacement and resettlement situations in the rest of the world.