Forced migration-related traumatic experiences and collective memory in Ezidi asylum-seekers coming to Diyarbakir province from Shingal region.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the collective memory of Ezidi asylum-seekers who migrated from Iraq to Turkey in 2014.

METHODS

Kurdish-speaking Ezidi participants of 25-65 years of age (ten male and ten female) who have arrived to Fidanlık Camp in Diyarbakır, Turkey from the Iraqi Shingal region have been included in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured in depth interviews and qualitative content analysis was conducted on the collected data.

RESULTS

The word "edict", which was used to define violent attacks, had a significant importance in all participants' memories. The collective memory observed in the Ezidi society leads a collective fear. Homelessness and religious discrimination are other concerns observed in the population.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, due to the depth and strength of the oral narrative tradition in the Kurdish culture, a significant collective memory is formed within the Ezidi society. Accumulation of previous negative events may prevent Ezidis to form a healthy identity. Traumas of the Ezidis should be investigated in more detail, and studies with larger scopes should be conducted in the future.