Ethnicity, Gender and the Border Economy ─ Living in the Turkey-Georgia Borderlands

Certain types of economic activity develop in border regions which are different from the general economic structure of the country, for example smuggling, shuttle trade and the entertainment sector characterized by gambling and prostitution. This book puts forward the argument that participation in this economic life reshapes the relationship between ethnic groups who live in the borderland as well as gender relations. Drawing on detailed ethnographic research at the Turkey-Georgia border, life at the border is explored in terms of family relations, work life and intra and inter-ethnic group relations. Using an intersectional approach, this book charts the perceptions and representations of how different ethnic and gendered groups experience interactions among themselves, with each other and with the changing economic context.

Latife AkyA?z is an Assistant Professor at DA?zce University, Turkey.