Conditional belonging and the boundaries of national membership: Syrian refugees in Türkiye

This study examines experiences of identity, place, and belonging among Syrian refugees living in Türkiye within the context of national boundary-making and membership regimes. In situations of forced migration, belonging is not limited to individual self-identification; rather, it is politically negotiated through mechanisms of inclusion, recognition, and exclusion within the national community. Drawing on qualitative in-depth interviews with 60 Syrian refugees living under the temporary protection regime, the study explores how refugees position themselves in relation to national membership. The findings reveal a structural tension between legal protection and de facto political membership. Participants’ experiences of belonging are shaped by equal treatment, public recognition, economic security, and the predictability of legal status. Belonging does not emerge as a natural attachment based on cultural similarity or geographical proximity. Instead, it appears as a conditional and fragile form of membership shaped by public discourse, everyday interactions, and the broader political environment. By conceptualizing this condition as “conditional belonging,” the study highlights the tension between legal presence and suspended political membership under temporary protection regimes. The article contributes to debates on nationalism and citizenship by demonstrating how the boundaries of national identity are reproduced and contested in contexts of forced migration.