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Seasonal migrant farm workers at the nexus of production and social reproduction in contemporary Turkey

Kavak, Sinem LU and Benlisoy, Zeynep Ceren Eren (2025) In Agriculture and Human Values
Abstract
This paper examines seasonal migrant farmworkers in Turkey, focusing on the intersection of relations of production and social reproduction under rapidly shifting land and labour regimes. The workers are predominantly Kurds and Arabs of Turkey and Syrian refugees, and experience the intersecting crises of neoliberalism, rural-urban migration and conflict/disaster displacement in amplified ways. With an interest in gendered and generational impacts on youth and women’s labour and bodies, we argue that an analysis of social reproduction should include both intra- and inter-household relations as well as kinship/community and ritual-based dynamics such as marriage and childbearing. We show that the intersecting forces of marketisation,... (More)
This paper examines seasonal migrant farmworkers in Turkey, focusing on the intersection of relations of production and social reproduction under rapidly shifting land and labour regimes. The workers are predominantly Kurds and Arabs of Turkey and Syrian refugees, and experience the intersecting crises of neoliberalism, rural-urban migration and conflict/disaster displacement in amplified ways. With an interest in gendered and generational impacts on youth and women’s labour and bodies, we argue that an analysis of social reproduction should include both intra- and inter-household relations as well as kinship/community and ritual-based dynamics such as marriage and childbearing. We show that the intersecting forces of marketisation, family, kinship and the authoritarian state sustain and reproduce seasonal migrant agricultural labour, capitalising on the exploitation of women and youth. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
Agriculture and Human Values
pages
19 pages
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105000253769
ISSN
0889-048X
DOI
10.1007/s10460-025-10720-5
project
Unravelling climate change impacts on migrant farmworkers in agri-food production
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
eb7572cf-2440-4f28-8532-74c957df1c44
date added to LUP
2025-04-01 11:14:48
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:22:34
@article{eb7572cf-2440-4f28-8532-74c957df1c44,
  abstract     = {{This paper examines seasonal migrant farmworkers in Turkey, focusing on the intersection of relations of production and social reproduction under rapidly shifting land and labour regimes. The workers are predominantly Kurds and Arabs of Turkey and Syrian refugees, and experience the intersecting crises of neoliberalism, rural-urban migration and conflict/disaster displacement in amplified ways. With an interest in gendered and generational impacts on youth and women’s labour and bodies, we argue that an analysis of social reproduction should include both intra- and inter-household relations as well as kinship/community and ritual-based dynamics such as marriage and childbearing. We show that the intersecting forces of marketisation, family, kinship and the authoritarian state sustain and reproduce seasonal migrant agricultural labour, capitalising on the exploitation of women and youth.}},
  author       = {{Kavak, Sinem and Benlisoy, Zeynep Ceren Eren}},
  issn         = {{0889-048X}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{Agriculture and Human Values}},
  title        = {{Seasonal migrant farm workers at the nexus of production and social reproduction in contemporary Turkey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10460-025-10720-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10460-025-10720-5}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}