The Migration Research Association (GAR) was established in September 2017 in Istanbul by academics working in the field of migration. Since its inception, it has expanded with the participation of academics from various disciplines who specialize in migration and have worked at different universities and non-governmental organizations. GAR has been conducting activities aimed at producing critical knowledge, supporting research and researchers in the field of migration, making the rights violations experienced by migrants and refugees visible through rights-based knowledge production, and contributing to evidence-based policy-making.
Although the topic of migration and asylum in Turkey became one of the main issues on the country’s agenda following the Syrian migration that began in 2011, the knowledge produced in this field often lacks a critical and migrant-centered perspective. Recently, rising anti-migrant and anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey and around the world has hindered the production of scientific and rights-based knowledge, facilitated the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the subject, and made it impossible to discuss rights-based and scientific knowledge within a democratic public framework. Furthermore, the knowledge produced in the field of migration and asylum fails to guide evidence-based, rational, inclusive, and egalitarian social policy. Issues such as the shrinking of free and scientific knowledge production spaces at universities, the increasing political pressure on academic institutions, the transformation of research into individual, insular, and profit-driven endeavors within academia, and the neglect of collaboration between academia and civil society have heightened concerns about knowledge production in the field of migration and the dissemination of this knowledge in a public and democratic manner, leading to the establishment of this association.
GAR’s main objectives are to conduct and promote interdisciplinary research on migration and asylum, disseminate the knowledge produced from these studies, raise awareness of the rights violations and vulnerabilities faced by migrants and refugees at local, national, and international levels, and facilitate the public and democratic discussion of knowledge produced by other researchers, civil society organizations, and migrants and refugees working in these areas. One of the association’s primary goals is to promote the dissemination of rights-based knowledge produced with a focus on those directly affected by these issues, to create common platforms that facilitate dialogue and cooperation between knowledge production and practical applications in addressing the problems faced by migrants and refugees.
Within this framework, GAR’s objectives are: to produce and promote locally, nationally, and internationally valid, research-based, critical, multi-dimensional, and rights-based knowledge in the field of migration and asylum; to identify problems related to these areas; to develop solution proposals; to establish and enhance collaborations; to strengthen the methodological and ethical capacities of researchers; to advocate for the translation of knowledge into social policy; and to engage with other stakeholders to create a foundation for collective learning and knowledge production.
GAR’s activities focus on three key areas: 1) Human Rights-Fundamental Rights and Freedoms; 2) Refugee Rights; 3) Equality and Anti-Discrimination. The aim of our activities is to defend the right to life and the right to non-discrimination of refugees. We emphasize that refugee rights are, first and foremost, human rights and must be recognized unconditionally. We highlight the necessity of recognizing the rights of refugees and migrants based on the international agreements and national legislation that Turkey is a party to, as well as the deficiencies in these regulations. We also advocate that refugee and migrant rights should be addressed within a more holistic framework and that discrimination and other forms of rights violations stemming from religion, language, race, ethnic origin, gender, and sexual orientation should be taken into account in every intervention in this field.
We believe in the importance of producing comprehensive and in-depth knowledge in the field of migration and asylum to highlight the inequalities, discrimination, and vulnerabilities experienced by refugees and to advocate for refugee rights, disseminating this knowledge among the public and relevant stakeholders, and conducting advocacy activities based on rights-based and evidence-based knowledge. We aim to build non-hierarchical and inclusive relationships based on equality with migrants, refugees, their self-organizations, and other rights-based organizations working in this field. We strive to strengthen refugee rights advocacy, identify barriers to living together, and create a socio-political foundation to counter false, hateful, and misleading information, attitudes, and behaviors by producing and disseminating critical, scientific, and high-quality knowledge.
Our fundamental activities are as follows:
1) monitoring legislation, policies, and practices;
2) promoting rights-based scientific knowledge in the public sphere;
3) contributing to the creation of tools needed to intervene in narratives that normalize discrimination or the exclusion of migrants and refugees from certain rights;
4) providing participants in training and workshop activities with the necessary skills in rights-based knowledge, research ethics, methods, and existing literature.
GAR distinguishes itself from other initiatives and organizations in the migration field through its commitment to critical academic knowledge production and education, adopting an advocacy approach based on research and knowledge.
In line with its objectives and mission, GAR:
– Carries out research projects and publishes reports.
– Organizes training programs (GarEP), summer schools, and short-term training sessions as part of Gar Academy.
– Hosts seminars, workshops, and conferences on the current migration and asylum agenda and conducts discussions with civil society organizations active in these fields.
– Produces up-to-date analysis and evaluations on migration and asylum through the Gar Blog, sharing these with the public and researchers.
– Tracks the migration agenda and shapes opinions through podcasts, videos, and public statements.
Click for our brochure
