The Transformation of the Concept of Guest in the Process and the Different Meanings It Signifies: A Critical Discourse Analysis on Syrians in Turkey (2018-2024)

Since World War II, conceptualizing migration has become increasingly challenging, leading nation-states to create new terms for different migration forms. As an umbrella term "migrant" denotes "mobility," while newer concepts, such as "guest," have gained additional meanings specific to the context in which they arise. Initially used to describe migrant workers and their "temporariness," the concept of "guest" now refers to temporariness more broadly, independent of labor. This study examines how the meaning of "guest" has evolved concerning Syrians in Turkey, who are considered temporary residents, and the connotations it has acquired over time. This research builds on a 2020 master's thesis, which examined the dynamics behind referring to Syrians with "temporary protection status" who migrated to Turkey as "guests." It analyzed the semantic shifts that occurred as their guest status was prolonged. In this context, 248 news articles from three newspapers (Hürriyet, Sabah, and Cumhuriyet) published between 2014 and 2018 were analyzed using Teun van Dijk’s critical discourse analysis. The study focused on the socio-political context in Turkey, finding that the term "guests," regarded as members of the non-citizen group, developed in conjunction with the discourse of power but also came to encompass different meanings with events that emerged in the public sphere. This study questions the relevance of the term "guest" in the ongoing Syrian migration narrative from 2018 onward, particularly considering other migration-related concepts emerging in Turkey and Europe. A discourse analysis of the news and political statements in the same newspapers will be conducted to examine how the term has evolved. Specifically, how has the term "guest" been used since 2019, when the plan for the voluntary return of Syrians to safe zones in Syria was announced? If it has not gotten a place, what migration concepts have replaced it?