Through in-depth qualitative research with Syrian women, the project endeavors to understand migrant homemaking activities and specifically how food practices change and are involved in integration.

Comparing three cities with high numbers of arrivals since mass Syrian migration to Turkey in 2011, we analyze how cooking and food sharing are a means of fostering kinship bonds, experiencing heritage and expressing emotions like love, loss and gratitude. Food is shaped by socio-cultural traditions, family histories and economic realities. Previous research shows that food sharing matters for migrants, but little research has examined food practices of refugees or, more specifically, Syrians in Turkey. This research examines how Syrian women construct cultural and familial belonging through domestic meals, despite challenging economic circumstances. We explore how women perceive their own roles and identities, how they adapt their cooking practices to new realities and how they participate in national and global political projects while creating new homes. The proposed project also examines how food creates bridges between the Turkish and Syrian communities. While there are many food-based integration projects run by civil society organizations, we have little research about how food impacts integration outcomes. The topic of Syrian integration is an urgent one in Turkey given that animosity towards Syrians has grown strongly in recent years. Locals lack information about and contact with their Syrian neighbors, which leads to fear and inter-ethnic conflict.