Transnational identities in practice: Lebanese Turkmens between Turkey’s adhocratic governance and Lebanese disinvestment

Rosita Di Peri; Chiara Maritato

doi:10.13135/2611-853X/10573

Rosita Di Peri University of Turin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5002-2150
Chiara Maritato University of Turin https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3159-6631

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13135/2611-853X/10573

Abstract

The article explores the transnational dimension of adhocratic governance through the case study of the Turkmen community in Lebanon, a marginal and seemingly insignificant group, especially from a demographic point of view. It investigates how Turkey’s and Lebanon’s governance of Turkmen communities has evolved over the past few decades and what this reveals about how the Turkmen’s transnational identities operate in practice. Drawing on extensive fieldwork conducted by the authors in both Lebanon and Turkey, the paper contends that in recent years, Turkey has implemented ad hoc strategies towards Turkmen communities, influencing their transnational identification practices. While Lebanon has disengaged from the management of a population living in marginal yet strategically relevant areas, Turkey has framed its foreign policy in terms of cultural-religious kinship and pragmatism. Both political processes are continually characterised by competing bundles of identifications, which temporarily and incompletely acquire a privileged status in (especially foreign policy) decision-making.

Keywords: Lebanon, Turkey, Transnational Identities, Adhocracy, Transnational Governance, Kinship

Author Biographies

Rosita Di Peri, University of Turin

Rosita Di Peri is Associate Professor at the Department of Culture, Politics and Society at the University of Turin (Italy) where she teaches ‘Politics, Institutions and Cultures of Middle East’ and 'Mashrek Politics and Institutions'. Her research interests focus on democracy and authoritarianism in the Middle East with a particular attention on Lebanon. She is the scientific coordinator of the Summer School ‘Understanding the Middle East’ and President of SeSaMO (Italian Association for Middle Eastern Studies). She published several articles in Italian and international Journals, such as ‘Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche’, ‘Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica’, ‘British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies’, ‘Politics Religion and Ideology’, 'Mediterranean Politics' and ‘Oriente Moderno’. She authored a book on Lebanese contemporary politics (Il Libano contemporaneo, Carocci, Roma 2017, in Italian) and co-edited several books and Special Issues.

Chiara Maritato, University of Turin

Chiara Maritato is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society at the University of Turin (Italy) and visiting scholar at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California San Diego. She holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie "Seal of Excellence" grant for the ROADSIDE project investigating the multilevel governance of transit migration in partnership with the Istanbul Bilgi University European Institute. Her research interests include the controversial notion of "transit" migration and border management, transnational religious actors and diaspora communities, religion and gender issues in contemporary Turkey.