TRANSNATIONAL CITIZENSHIP

Many people migrate to another countries as workers or for other reasons as students and so on. When they go these countries, they get papers as they are citizens of these countries. However, they face with many problems as it was seen at the film that is called, “Fear Eats Soul”. To eliminate these problems for transnational citizens, “democratizing the notion of citizenship via its denationalization.[1]” can be the solution.

In Turkey, the notion of citizenship can be seen in the context via the exclusion and assimilation of the different ethnic groups as Greeks, Armenians, Jews , Kurds, Arabs, Alevis and so on [2]. In my opinion, for these group of people who have different ethnics and language differences can have problems due to being transnational citizens. Trasnational citizens as Bulgarians in Turkey, Turkish people in Germany can not accepted into the society because of the nationalistic features of the country and the people who live there. To have perfectly shaped transnational citizenship, firstly nationalism should be decreased in the country. However, many countries do not want transnational citizens a lot so, they do not solve the problems about this thema.

Ayşe Parla's article gives information about migrants from Bulgaria who come to Turkey and they have Turkish ethnics [3]. For these kind of migrants, there is another rules that means there is discrimination citizens to citizens as a law. Turkey do not want these kind of migrants so they try to make migrants facing with many difficulties. It is done by Turkish authority. When it is taught that why it is done like that, the answer can be the nationalistic structure of Turkey.

Difficulties that are faced by migrants make them to rebel. For example, in Turkey Kurdish people are forced to speak Turkish and that makes them to rebel against the authority [4]. In my opinion, making forbidden of the minorities' language is not a good attitude of the authorities. That means, they do not give equal rights to their all citizens. Majority can speak their language freely however for minorities that is forbidden. It makes chaotic situations in the country. In addition to that, it is

not happened just in Turkey. It can be seen in other countries as Germany. However, in Germany minorities can live their own culture more freely. To give an brief example, in Germany it can be found a restaurant whose name is in Kurdish. However, in Turkey, there is no restaurant whose name is Kurdish. People can not open their own restaurant that has name from their own language. There are restrictions for the minorities.

In addition to that, Kurdish names can be problem in Turkey for newborn babies.Normally, citizens should have freedom to choose the name of their babies. According to Kirişçi's article, “ Reports of officials refusing to register Kurdish names for newborn babies until they were instructed to do so by court rulings favorable to complaints from the public.”[5] In Turkey, giving a Kurdish name to babies was banned, nowadays it is acceptable. And also, there were no Kurdish TV channel in Turkey. Now, there is a kurdish TV channel in Turkey which is an important step for Turkey to accept transnational citizens. However, it is not enough process. There should be improvements.

Also, in Kirişçi's article it says that “Article 301 of the Penal Code that continued to criminalize statements seemed offensive to “Turkishness” aggravated the back-sliding. This seriously undermined the gains made during earlier years in respect to promoting a culturally more plural and diverse Turkey.” [6] With these kind of articles as Article 301, people become more nationalistic and to accuse the people from minority in Turkey. Government try to accelerate the nationalist feelings of the people thus, people can not accept the minorities. That can be the cause of the problems for the transnational citizens in Turkey.

San-papiers who have no papers as citizen in France can be observed as an another example for transnational citizenship. In the film that is called “La Haine” that we saw them. They do not have many rights as the national citizens because in France citizenshp based on nations. San- papiers are discriminated based on their nations. In daily life, they are faced with many problems with the society in the public sphere. And also, they are faced with many difficulties as the laws as well. Government does not have any article that avoid transnational citizens to face with difficulties.

To sum up, for having transnational citizens in a country, the nationalistic feelings shoul not be very high. Becase, if they are too high, people can not accept the transnational citizens. Due to, migrants or people who have different ethnics can not be integrated to the country. For eliminating these kinds or problems, government can help with regulating the Articles about nationalism. To avoid from violating the transnational citizens, there may be some articles for providing the rights of the minorities and transnational citizens. It can be the solution for negative outcomes of the concept of transnational citizenship.

RESOURCES

[1] Kadıoğlu A., Denationalization of Citizenship? The Turkish Experience, 2007, Istanbul, p283.

[2] Kadıoğlu A., Denationalization of Citizenship? The Turkish Experience, 2007, Istanbul, p284.

[3] Parla A. and Danış D., Toplum ve Bilim, 2009, p13

[4] Kadıoğlu A., Denationalization of Citizenship? The Turkish Experience, 2007, Istanbul, p289.

[5] Kirişçi K., Mirage or Reality:Post-national Turkey and its implication for immigration, 2009, Istanbul, p14.

[6] Kirişçi K., Mirage or Reality:Post-national Turkey and its implication for immigration, 2009, Istanbul, p16.