Abstract

The phenomenon of population transfer from Turkey to Cyprus after 1974 has been studied either in the theoretical framework of the phenomenon of settlement or in the framework of theories of migration. On the one hand, the phenomenon of settlement (with the most recent historical example being the settlement policy in Palestine) has shown that settlers are a structural part of instability deriving from expansionist policies. On the other hand, the literature on migration has shown that migrants do not usually seek to engage in civil conflicts and/or wars. But what happens in cases where settlement policies have a specific time period and are followed by migration flows? What are the differentiations produced when the social and class profile of settlers shows similarities with migrant populations? This presentation aims to study the politics of settlement in Cyprus by analysing the ‘hybrid elements’ that arise from the presence of settlers and migrants in the Turkish Cypriot community. Part of the presentation will deal with the process of settler politicization and the reactions of Turkish Cypriots. Within this context, the presentation seeks to draw out possible causes that explain the absence of large and massive settler organisations in the occupied territories, as well as the role played by the Turkish Cypriot opposition.