ABSTRACT
How does Turkey’s geographical limitation have impact on the ‘journey of hope’? After completing the first bureaucratic phase of the asylum journey, asylum travellers arrive in Turkey. If they seek asylum, they encounter UNHCR Turkey’s refugee status determination process and regulations of Turkey that they have to follow. The chapter, which I call practicing liminality, examines the tactics, practices, and experiences of asylum travellers in Turkey. The chapter challenges the attributed labels and bureaucratic identities, and the literature that regards Turkey a transit country and individuals as transit migrants en route to Europe. It offers critical insights by illustrating that the journey is not only about mobility. Immobility is also a significant part of the asylum journey, which I call ‘mobistasis’ and addresses the spatial and temporal immobility of an ongoing asylum journey.
