Bagassu Turkii: Dakar ve İstanbul Arasında Senegalli Ulusötesi E-Ticaret ve Sosyal Ağlar

This paper analyzes the forms of agencies, social networks, and transnational e-commerce between Dakar and İstanbul, and the people involved, including migrants, GPs –gratis passengers, grouping networks, and traders. First, it considers the recent economic “charm offensive” by the Turkish state with a view to expanding into the “open African market” at diplomatic, industrial, and commercial levels; then, it describes relations between Türkiye and Senegal. After that, it discusses the visa policy between the two countries, before reviewing the literature on African migration, in general, and Senegalese migration to Türkiye, in particular; and mobility between Senegal and Türkiye, to and from cities such as İstanbul and Izmir. Finally, the paper analyzes the transnational mobility of Senegalese traders. Interviews were carried out in the Senegalese capital Dakar, where most Turkish products transit before being distributed within Senegal or to neighboring countries. The interviews mainly focused on traders who travel back and forth between Dakar and İstanbul, GPs-, and Senegalese businesspeople. Using the power of social networks such as Viber, WhatsApp, and Facebook, they regularly trade with Türkiye while residing in Senegal: indeed, some of them never leave the country.