Belonging in Motion: Belonging Trajectories Under the Dutch Civic Integration A Qualitative Study of Turkish Political Refugees Sense of Belonging in the Netherlands

This thesis examines how Dutch civic integration policies shape the sense of belonging among highly educated Turkish political refugees. Based on ten semi-structured interviews, it investigates how belonging trajectories unfolds since the refugee’s arrival in the Netherlands identifying three main trajectories: stagnated, fluctuating and progressive belonging trajectories. The findings demonstrated that belonging develops mostly in a non-linear form where different factors such as status decline, discrimination, social mobility, and interactions with the host society are shaping the trajectories by either supporting or hindering belonging’s development. Lastly, it explores these different belonging trajectories under the light of two different policy frameworks: Wet Inburgering 2013 (Wi2013) and Wet Inburgering 2021 (Wi2021). Findings indicated that participants under Wi2013 valued the autonomy to manage their integration process which fostered positive sense of belonging. Conversely participants under Wi2021 reported lack of autonomy often leading to temporary setbacks hindering their sense of belonging. By highlighting migrant’s experiences and voices the research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the integration paradox calling for more inclusive, responsive civic integration frameworks.