An Extraordinary Migrant Literature? Balkan Migrants and Their Poems in Turkey (in the Context of Bulgaria-Turkey)

The migrations from the Balkans to Turkey are among the largest migration events in the Eurasian region in recent history. After the migrations, the Turkish community with the “Balkan” identity has constituted one of the important elements of Turkish sociology. Among the Turkish and Muslim communities who migrated from the Balkans, those who migrated after 1950 have a more dominant “immigrant” identity, and elements related to their Balkan cultural background have been better preserved. The cultural fabric of the Balkan migrant community in Turkey can be analyzed primarily through traditions and customs, as well as in areas such as language, folklore, and literature. The literary works produced by poets and writers from the intellectual class among Balkan migrants serve as one of the most significant reflections of this “immigrant memory” in Turkey. This study focuses on the theme of “immigrants” in the poetry of Turkish-speaking poets born in Bulgaria who were forced to migrate to Turkey, with specific limitations in terms of time, region, and subject matter. While conducting a comparative analysis of the migration and immigrant-themed poems of these poets, the aim is to highlight the distinct, widespread, and emphasized characteristics of the “immigrant” identity within the literary context

Immigration · Poetry · Turkish · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Balkans: History, Politics, Society

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