Repression Through Time: Legacies of Transnational Repression in the Diaspora (Pre-Recorded)

• In Event: Diasporic Engagements (Pre-Recorded)

Abstract

Over the last decades, state repression has been studied widely across different contexts, granting insights into the strategies that states use to coerce target populations within their borders. A burgeoning literature now focuses on transnational repression, exploring authoritarian regimes' ability to extend the long arm of the state into transnational immigrant communities, or diasporas. I contribute to this literature by shedding light on the phenomenon of transnational repression through a historical case study of Turkish state repression abroad. Existing accounts fail to consider historical trajectories of transnational repression and thus overlook dynamics that shape coercive actions in the diaspora over time. By comparing transnational repression over two authoritarian periods – namely transnational repression during the military regime of the 1980s and the current authoritarian regime under the AKP – I trace the evolution of the state's repressive policies and practices towards its citizens abroad. Through the use of archival data, ethnography, and semi-structured interviews with members of Turkey's diasporas in Germany, I show that the state's coercive capacity is shaped by historical legacies, impacting its ability to repress dissent in the diaspora. Taking changing strategies and varying targets of repression over time into consideration, the within-case study demonstrates that the longevity of repression shapes the conditions under which repressed groups within the diaspora perceive and respond to these practices. Thus, the paper contributes to our understanding of transnational repression by highlighting the role that time plays in how the states’ coercive power is perceived across borders.

Author

• Gözde Böcü, University of Toronto