Acts of Belonging in Modern Societies

Abstract

This book examines the ways in which the need to belong manifests itself in the post 9/11 world, from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Using queer Turkish women in Berlin as its subjects, the book shows how individuals with seemingly contradictory belongings develop strategies of emotional survival in the face of conflict, which Yorukoglu terms "acts of belonging". It studies the impact of populist discourses on minorities, exploring concepts such as security, integration, sexual tolerance and cohesion within a causal relationship. Questioning this assumed relationship, the book proposes an alternative approach to study belonging. Acts Of Belonging in Modern Societies supports the empirical research behind the argument that cohesion is not a "sine qua non" of belonging. These acts allow the individual to claim belonging in spite of possible differences. The book provides evocative case studies to reveal the affective, dynamic, complex nature of human connectedness.