Host-Society Perceptions of Turkish-Syrian Mixed Marriages: Gender and Conditional Integration in Yozgat

This qualitative study examines host-society perceptions of Turkish-Syrian mixed marriages in Yozgat and their contribution to social cohesion. Participants grounded their evaluations on social, economic, and political considerations, while some expressed negative sentiments toward Syrians, showing tension between integration and assimilation expectations. Drawing on Berry’s acculturation framework, mixed marriages are conceptualized as extended cultural contact linking couples, families, and kinship networks. Participants acknowledged that such contact may foster familiarity and social proximity, but references to “racial degeneration” and cultural dilution indicate it can also produce anxiety and resistance. The findings indicate that mixed marriages are often evaluated through a pragmatic, cost-based lens and reflect patterns of conditional acceptance shaped by gender norms. Syrian brides are incorporated into local households when they conform to traditional domestic roles, whereas Syrian grooms are rare and far less accepted, reflecting a clear gender asymmetry in integration. Comparing Syrian and Turkish women functions as a discursive mechanism that reinforces male authority and reproduces gendered hierarchies. The study identifies a central paradox: while mixed marriages theoretically create space for integration through sustained contact, confining Syrian women to the domestic sphere reduce cultural dialogue and reproduces gender-based inequalities. The study suggests that the integrative potential of mixed marriages depends less on contact itself and more on how such contact is shaped by power relations and social boundaries.