Meltem Yilmaz Sener | VID Specialized University (original) (raw)

Papers by Meltem Yilmaz Sener

Routledge International Handbook of Poverty, 2019

Welfare States in a Turbulent Era

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Jul 14, 2023

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, May 16, 2023

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Jun 15, 2016

Tidsskrift for Islamforskning

This paper describes the process of religification through which assumed religious affiliation, r... more This paper describes the process of religification through which assumed religious affiliation, rather than other identifications, becomes the main category of identity that Norwegian society uses to identify Turkish women living in Norway. Depending on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 41 first-generation Turkish women migrants living in Drammen and Oslo, the paper first demonstrates the variety in religious belief, identification, and adherence to religious practices among them. Secondly, it shows how their daily encounters in Norwegian society are largely shaped by the fact that Turkish womenv are primarily assumed to be religious Muslims. Many of these women feel uncomfortable being exposed to questions about religion yet, ironically, in a sense, they feel that they are being called to be more religious Muslims in the context of Norway. When they seem to diverge from the stereotype, they are told that they are not like Turks/other Turks. However, although all these women...

Border Crossing

This study focuses on the discrimination perceptions of Turkish skilled migrants living in Norway... more This study focuses on the discrimination perceptions of Turkish skilled migrants living in Norway. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 44 skilled migrants from Turkey, the paper discusses their perceptions of the following: i) prejudices against their ethnic group, ii) discrimination against themselves and other people from Turkey, and iii) the implications of prejudices and discrimination for how migrants from the same country perceive each other. Looking at the case of Turkish migrants in Norway, the paper argues that the prejudices against a certain migrant group lead to more polarization between different groups of migrants coming from the same country. When all the members of one ethnic group are marked and stereotyped, those who have enough capital (economic, social, cultural) use discursive and material strategies to distance themselves from an imagined migrant (of their ethnic origin) who is stereotyped.

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2018

When we consider the international migration history of Turkey, we see the key position of the im... more When we consider the international migration history of Turkey, we see the key position of the immigration of worker migrants to Germany that has been going on since the 1960s. Due to the waves of migration from Turkey to Europe, and especially to Germany, Turks now form one of the largest minority groups living in Western Europe who have migrated from outside of the European Union (EU) region (Sirkeci 2002: 9). As a consequence, beginning from the first period of migration, Turkish migration to Germany has been a subject that social scientists have intensively analyzed. However, most studies have focused on guest workers and there have been a limited number of studies looking at the case of qualified migrants from Turkey to Germany. Academic interest is limited not only to the migration of the qualified migrants to Germany but also in return migration. To date, there are only a few studies on return migration and they mostly try to understand under what conditions and situations gu...

Journal of Humanity and Society (İnsan & Toplum Dergisi), Sep 1, 2018

This study investigates the return migration of Turkish qualified migrants to Turkey from Germany... more This study investigates the return migration of Turkish qualified migrants to Turkey from Germany and the US. Depending on a qualitative research which included 80 in-depth interviews with returnees, it comparatively explores their reasons for return, level of re-adaption to Turkey after return, ongoing connections with Germany/the US, and intentions to re-migrate. The analysis indicates that cultural, familial, and emotional reasons were more influential in their return than economic or professional ones. Additionally, discrimination is a major reason behind return from Germany, but not from the US. Our study shows that returnees face serious difficulties in re-adaptation and reverse culture-shock after their return. Also, they have low levels of ongoing connections with the host country, other than their personal connections. Finally, most returnees from Germany talked about their stay in Turkey as permanent, while returnees from the US were more open to re-migrating. Our study shows that when migrants see international migration as a positive experience, return migration does not necessarily constitute the end of the migration cycle; they become open to repeating the experience of migration.

Journal of Developing Societies, 2012

A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market log... more A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market logic with the process of neoliberal globalization. As the resources for doing research are limited especially in the developing countries, the funds provided for research by institutions such as the World Bank gain importance for the academics. This article demonstrates how the academics’ experience of producing knowledge for the World Bank fosters the neoliberalization of the university in Turkey. Depending on interviews with academics, the article looks at the impacts of doing research for the World Bank. It concludes that although these academics are forced to act as entrepreneurial subjects, they have not necessarily internalized this neoliberal mentality.

Research and Policy on Turkey, 2016

This paper looks at the gender aspect of social policy provision in Turkey during the Justice and... more This paper looks at the gender aspect of social policy provision in Turkey during the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi-AKP) government period through an emphasis on the ways in which women are positioned within the anti-poverty programmes. It focuses on conditional cash transfers (CCTs), as the leading and most emphasized poverty alleviation programme of the AKP government. The paper subjects the CCTs in general and the Turkish CCT programme in particular to a gender analysis. It demonstrates how CCTs are representative of the AKP’s social conservative and neo-liberal approach to social policy especially with regard to the roles that are assigned to women. It argues that the double-sidedness in AKP’s policies in terms of gender equality is observed in the case of the CCTs. Although at the discursive level, there is an emphasis on empowerment of women by this programme, the ways in which the programme is structured leads to the reinforcement of women’s domestic roles.

Third World Quarterly, 2015

This paper aims to assess the World Bank's social risk management approach to poverty by focusing... more This paper aims to assess the World Bank's social risk management approach to poverty by focusing on the implementation details of the Social Risk Mitigation Project in Turkey, a World Bank project that depends on this approach. The paper looks at the approach through the concept of neoliberal governmentality, as an attempt to produce responsible poor citizens during a period when the responsibility for providing social services is transferred to the market and the family. By using field research it demonstrates that, with the intervention of local factors, several unintended consequences emerge in the implementation of a social risk management project. The article concludes that these outcomes, although not planned or intended, have all been instrumental in depoliticising poverty and the poor in the country. Moreover, in spite of all the problems and dissatisfaction, thanks to the Bank's own portrayal, this project has contributed to the image of the Bank as a development institution that achieves successes in its fight with poverty.

Middle Eastern Studies, 2012

This paper presents some related processes in Turkey which have been initiated or influenced by t... more This paper presents some related processes in Turkey which have been initiated or influenced by the World Bank's execution of the Social Risk Mitigation Project (SRMP). It argues that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), as a party that redefined social assistance as charity by incorporating Islamic values with neo-liberalism, benefited from the SRMP for increasing its public support. It

Page 1. THE WORLD BANK'S RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO POVERTY AS A FORM OF NEOLIBERAL... more Page 1. THE WORLD BANK'S RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO POVERTY AS A FORM OF NEOLIBERAL GOVERNMENTALITY? THE CASE OF “THE SOCIAL RISK MITIGATION PROJECT” IN TURKEY BY MELTEM YILMAZ ŞENER DISSERTATION ...

retrieved from http://scholar. google. com/scholar, 2004

Journal of World-Systems Research, 2007

During the period after 1970s, capitalism has gone through a significant restructuring. This peri... more During the period after 1970s, capitalism has gone through a significant restructuring. This period has been primarily characterized by the process of globalization. Globalization has not emerged as the natural result of capitalism but it has been actively promoted and the appropriate conditions for the functioning of global capitalism have been created by certain actors. Many scholars argue that it is a newly emerging transnational capitalist class which transformed capitalism into a globalizing project. Although the members of this class are located in different parts of the world, they have a common interest in supporting globalization. They are aware of their common interests and they have a certain class consciousness. Moreover, their habits, tastes, and lifestyles are becoming increasingly similar. Considering these debates on transnational capitalist class, in a case study of the Turkish top managers working in the ?stanbul branch of a multinational corporation, this paper lo...

A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market log... more A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market logic with the process of neoliberal globalization. As the resources for doing research are limited especially in the developing countries, the funds pro-vided for research by institutions such as the World Bank gain importance for the academics. This article demonstrates how the academics ’ experience of producing knowledge for the World Bank fosters the neoliberalization of the university in Turkey. Depending on interviews with academics, the article looks at the impacts of doing research for the World Bank. It concludes that although these academics are forced to act as entrepreneurial subjects, they have not necessarily internalized this neoliberal mentality.

Development has, for a long time, been a major issue in the programs of key political actors such... more Development has, for a long time, been a major issue in the programs of key political actors such as governments, international institutions (IMF, World Bank, UN) and NGOs. Among these actors, especially the World Bank has emerged as a major authority, ‘a chief arbiter’ due to the development projects it applies all over the world and due to its position as a ‘global knowledge bank’, a source of ideas in the area of development (Goldman, 2005). From its establishment in 1944 during a conference in Bretton Woods, and with the participation of 44 government representatives, the World Bank has been active for more than sixty years as one of the world’s largest sources of loans – especially for the Third World countries.

Routledge International Handbook of Poverty, 2019

Routledge International Handbook of Poverty, 2019

Welfare States in a Turbulent Era

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Jul 14, 2023

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, May 16, 2023

DergiPark (Istanbul University), Jun 15, 2016

Tidsskrift for Islamforskning

This paper describes the process of religification through which assumed religious affiliation, r... more This paper describes the process of religification through which assumed religious affiliation, rather than other identifications, becomes the main category of identity that Norwegian society uses to identify Turkish women living in Norway. Depending on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 41 first-generation Turkish women migrants living in Drammen and Oslo, the paper first demonstrates the variety in religious belief, identification, and adherence to religious practices among them. Secondly, it shows how their daily encounters in Norwegian society are largely shaped by the fact that Turkish womenv are primarily assumed to be religious Muslims. Many of these women feel uncomfortable being exposed to questions about religion yet, ironically, in a sense, they feel that they are being called to be more religious Muslims in the context of Norway. When they seem to diverge from the stereotype, they are told that they are not like Turks/other Turks. However, although all these women...

Border Crossing

This study focuses on the discrimination perceptions of Turkish skilled migrants living in Norway... more This study focuses on the discrimination perceptions of Turkish skilled migrants living in Norway. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 44 skilled migrants from Turkey, the paper discusses their perceptions of the following: i) prejudices against their ethnic group, ii) discrimination against themselves and other people from Turkey, and iii) the implications of prejudices and discrimination for how migrants from the same country perceive each other. Looking at the case of Turkish migrants in Norway, the paper argues that the prejudices against a certain migrant group lead to more polarization between different groups of migrants coming from the same country. When all the members of one ethnic group are marked and stereotyped, those who have enough capital (economic, social, cultural) use discursive and material strategies to distance themselves from an imagined migrant (of their ethnic origin) who is stereotyped.

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2018

When we consider the international migration history of Turkey, we see the key position of the im... more When we consider the international migration history of Turkey, we see the key position of the immigration of worker migrants to Germany that has been going on since the 1960s. Due to the waves of migration from Turkey to Europe, and especially to Germany, Turks now form one of the largest minority groups living in Western Europe who have migrated from outside of the European Union (EU) region (Sirkeci 2002: 9). As a consequence, beginning from the first period of migration, Turkish migration to Germany has been a subject that social scientists have intensively analyzed. However, most studies have focused on guest workers and there have been a limited number of studies looking at the case of qualified migrants from Turkey to Germany. Academic interest is limited not only to the migration of the qualified migrants to Germany but also in return migration. To date, there are only a few studies on return migration and they mostly try to understand under what conditions and situations gu...

Journal of Humanity and Society (İnsan & Toplum Dergisi), Sep 1, 2018

This study investigates the return migration of Turkish qualified migrants to Turkey from Germany... more This study investigates the return migration of Turkish qualified migrants to Turkey from Germany and the US. Depending on a qualitative research which included 80 in-depth interviews with returnees, it comparatively explores their reasons for return, level of re-adaption to Turkey after return, ongoing connections with Germany/the US, and intentions to re-migrate. The analysis indicates that cultural, familial, and emotional reasons were more influential in their return than economic or professional ones. Additionally, discrimination is a major reason behind return from Germany, but not from the US. Our study shows that returnees face serious difficulties in re-adaptation and reverse culture-shock after their return. Also, they have low levels of ongoing connections with the host country, other than their personal connections. Finally, most returnees from Germany talked about their stay in Turkey as permanent, while returnees from the US were more open to re-migrating. Our study shows that when migrants see international migration as a positive experience, return migration does not necessarily constitute the end of the migration cycle; they become open to repeating the experience of migration.

Journal of Developing Societies, 2012

A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market log... more A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market logic with the process of neoliberal globalization. As the resources for doing research are limited especially in the developing countries, the funds provided for research by institutions such as the World Bank gain importance for the academics. This article demonstrates how the academics’ experience of producing knowledge for the World Bank fosters the neoliberalization of the university in Turkey. Depending on interviews with academics, the article looks at the impacts of doing research for the World Bank. It concludes that although these academics are forced to act as entrepreneurial subjects, they have not necessarily internalized this neoliberal mentality.

Research and Policy on Turkey, 2016

This paper looks at the gender aspect of social policy provision in Turkey during the Justice and... more This paper looks at the gender aspect of social policy provision in Turkey during the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi-AKP) government period through an emphasis on the ways in which women are positioned within the anti-poverty programmes. It focuses on conditional cash transfers (CCTs), as the leading and most emphasized poverty alleviation programme of the AKP government. The paper subjects the CCTs in general and the Turkish CCT programme in particular to a gender analysis. It demonstrates how CCTs are representative of the AKP’s social conservative and neo-liberal approach to social policy especially with regard to the roles that are assigned to women. It argues that the double-sidedness in AKP’s policies in terms of gender equality is observed in the case of the CCTs. Although at the discursive level, there is an emphasis on empowerment of women by this programme, the ways in which the programme is structured leads to the reinforcement of women’s domestic roles.

Third World Quarterly, 2015

This paper aims to assess the World Bank's social risk management approach to poverty by focusing... more This paper aims to assess the World Bank's social risk management approach to poverty by focusing on the implementation details of the Social Risk Mitigation Project in Turkey, a World Bank project that depends on this approach. The paper looks at the approach through the concept of neoliberal governmentality, as an attempt to produce responsible poor citizens during a period when the responsibility for providing social services is transferred to the market and the family. By using field research it demonstrates that, with the intervention of local factors, several unintended consequences emerge in the implementation of a social risk management project. The article concludes that these outcomes, although not planned or intended, have all been instrumental in depoliticising poverty and the poor in the country. Moreover, in spite of all the problems and dissatisfaction, thanks to the Bank's own portrayal, this project has contributed to the image of the Bank as a development institution that achieves successes in its fight with poverty.

Middle Eastern Studies, 2012

This paper presents some related processes in Turkey which have been initiated or influenced by t... more This paper presents some related processes in Turkey which have been initiated or influenced by the World Bank's execution of the Social Risk Mitigation Project (SRMP). It argues that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), as a party that redefined social assistance as charity by incorporating Islamic values with neo-liberalism, benefited from the SRMP for increasing its public support. It

Page 1. THE WORLD BANK'S RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO POVERTY AS A FORM OF NEOLIBERAL... more Page 1. THE WORLD BANK'S RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO POVERTY AS A FORM OF NEOLIBERAL GOVERNMENTALITY? THE CASE OF “THE SOCIAL RISK MITIGATION PROJECT” IN TURKEY BY MELTEM YILMAZ ŞENER DISSERTATION ...

retrieved from http://scholar. google. com/scholar, 2004

Journal of World-Systems Research, 2007

During the period after 1970s, capitalism has gone through a significant restructuring. This peri... more During the period after 1970s, capitalism has gone through a significant restructuring. This period has been primarily characterized by the process of globalization. Globalization has not emerged as the natural result of capitalism but it has been actively promoted and the appropriate conditions for the functioning of global capitalism have been created by certain actors. Many scholars argue that it is a newly emerging transnational capitalist class which transformed capitalism into a globalizing project. Although the members of this class are located in different parts of the world, they have a common interest in supporting globalization. They are aware of their common interests and they have a certain class consciousness. Moreover, their habits, tastes, and lifestyles are becoming increasingly similar. Considering these debates on transnational capitalist class, in a case study of the Turkish top managers working in the ?stanbul branch of a multinational corporation, this paper lo...

A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market log... more A university is an institution that has been extensively restructured according to the market logic with the process of neoliberal globalization. As the resources for doing research are limited especially in the developing countries, the funds pro-vided for research by institutions such as the World Bank gain importance for the academics. This article demonstrates how the academics ’ experience of producing knowledge for the World Bank fosters the neoliberalization of the university in Turkey. Depending on interviews with academics, the article looks at the impacts of doing research for the World Bank. It concludes that although these academics are forced to act as entrepreneurial subjects, they have not necessarily internalized this neoliberal mentality.

Development has, for a long time, been a major issue in the programs of key political actors such... more Development has, for a long time, been a major issue in the programs of key political actors such as governments, international institutions (IMF, World Bank, UN) and NGOs. Among these actors, especially the World Bank has emerged as a major authority, ‘a chief arbiter’ due to the development projects it applies all over the world and due to its position as a ‘global knowledge bank’, a source of ideas in the area of development (Goldman, 2005). From its establishment in 1944 during a conference in Bretton Woods, and with the participation of 44 government representatives, the World Bank has been active for more than sixty years as one of the world’s largest sources of loans – especially for the Third World countries.

Routledge International Handbook of Poverty, 2019

In the 2000/2001 World Development Report, the World Bank offered a new approach named 'social ri... more In the 2000/2001 World Development Report, the World Bank offered a new approach named 'social risk management' for poverty reduction. The World Bank documents present the aim of social risk management as to provide instruments to the poor and the vulnerable to decrease the impact of being exposed to risk. The empirical focus of this project is the Social Risk Mitigation Project (SRMP) in Turkey, which is a World Bank project that depends on the social risk management framework. Through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis, this study considers the World Bank's implementation of the 'Social Risk Mitigation Project' by locating it at the intersection of the broad bodies of literature on development, globalization, risk, neoliberalism, and neoliberal governmentality. Here, by doing an ethnographic study, I explain what kind of activities the World Bank executes under a social risk management project, how different actors (World Bank consultants, state institutions and officials, NGOs, scholars, etc.) get involved in the implementation, what kind of power relations take place between these different actors, in which directions institutions are changed, what kind of subjectivities are formed, how local factors and processes intervene, and what kind of (especially unintended) consequences emerge as a result of project implementation. Although development interventions can fail in their own terms, they still have regular effects which may be very different from what was initially intended. Therefore, when I refer to the impacts, I consider both the intended and unintended impacts of the project. I explain some major unintended consequences that have emerged after/due to the execution of this project in Turkey. I contemplate on the consequences of the establishment of a Project Coordination Unit (PCU) by the World Bank to implement the project and demonstrate that creation of such a private body under a public institution leads to significant power iii struggles. I also explain how the Justice and Development Party (AKP), as a party that redefined social assistance as charity by incorporating Islamic values with neoliberalism, benefited from the SRMP for increasing its public support and how the AKP's use of this project for its political aims further brought about the creation and spreading of discourses about the poor, the Kurdish population, and the emergence of a culture of poverty in the country. Finally, relying on my interviews with the scholars who did research within the context of the Social Risk Mitigation Project, I elaborate on the question of whether or to what extent this experience of producing knowledge for the World Bank plays a part in the reconstruction of scholars, or in this case