Nick Ashdown
@Nick_Ashdown
Followers
35K
Following
44K
Media
5K
Statuses
45K
🇨🇦 dad, journalist & writer mostly covering Turkey @Newlinesmag @LAReviewofBooks @globeandmail @TheTLS @ForeignPolicy @TheWorld @TheAtlantic @POLITICOEurope
Brussels
Joined September 2011
I spoke to @ilker_ayturk @bdincaslan1 & @SelimKoru in my #longform reported essay about the assassination of #SinanAteş and the history, resurgence, and splintering of Turkey's ultranationalist movement. #SinanAteşİçinAdalet #longreads @longreads
NEW: The assassination of the nationalist leader Sinan Ates in Ankara last year and its fallout reflect the bloody rise and fracturing of Turkey’s ultranationalist movement, writes @Nick_Ashdown.
6
9
50
Hollanda'ya son 3-4 yıl içinde Türkiye'den gelenler yepyeni bir göçmen tipi yarattı bana göre. Bunlar 60-70lerde gelen "kurulu düzenci"lerin modernize hali. Arkadaşım buna "rakı içen yobaz" dedi dün. Türkiye'deki hayatı buraya taşımak isteyen AKP muhalifleri. Yeni bir tip. Açayım
140
250
4K
Always Turkey at the very bottom. It's really one of the defining features of Turkish society.
44
31
520
Good time to recall Trump's initial reaction to Putin's war in February 2022: "This is genius . . . We could use that on our southern border."
2
24
42
Europe needs to get much more comfortable threatening Trump with serious deterrent measures, and if necessary implementing them. Tariffs, taxes & bans on US firms; selloffs of US Treasuries; expulsions of American troops; sanctions on individuals. Speak his language: strength.
814
1K
5K
Very common experience for well-off emigrants from middle income and developing countries to relatively more egalitarian Western European countries. It’s also often why they prefer the US.
Had an interesting conversation with a group of Turkish friends living in Europe about white collar Turks who move here, then move back to Turkey because they don’t like it. The reason we came up with is that they’re used to being part of a ruling class in Turkey, served hand and
8
37
598
Would also encourage people to look through my thread and see if I write the word 'secular' or 'White Turk' at any point, but some fascinating assumptions being made by the Always Angry Always Onliners...
0
0
109
My wife also makes the great point that most Turks go to more northerly European countries with cultures/climates that are much further from Turkey than southern Europe, so their impression of 'Europe' comes from that.
11
4
483
I know that many Turks have a hard time in Europe for other reasons, such as discrimination! I wrote a whole article about it: https://t.co/Mt1lK4nJgz
My @newlinesmag piece looking at Turkish diaspora in Europe, 60 years after first worker recruitment agreement. With thoughtful comments from @sinemadar @gulayturkmen @APHClarkson @IlkeToygur. Thanks so much to the many others who shared their experiences!
4
7
356
@Nick_Ashdown That resonates with what we saw in our London fieldwork: a newer Turkish diaspora clustering in Richmond (a high-income borough). Even when it strains their budgets, the location helps maintain familiar class boundaries, privileges and networks.
tandfonline.com
This article examines the narrative construction of educational aspirations as drivers of migration among a new wave of middle-class Turkish families relocating to London. Drawing on in-depth inter...
1
1
18
I define this as "being nobody syndrome." They become "nobody" when they move abroad. Unfortunately, everything in Turkey is a status symbol: your parents' jobs, whether you drink alcohol, owning a Dyson vacuum cleaner, the school you attended. Any small or big thing imaginable.
Had an interesting conversation with a group of Turkish friends living in Europe about white collar Turks who move here, then move back to Turkey because they don’t like it. The reason we came up with is that they’re used to being part of a ruling class in Turkey, served hand and
65
135
2K
Reminded me again of a scene from this documentary: https://t.co/2pe4qUd4xb
Stumbled upon this old doc about Turkey. Interesting observation about class divisions - "When I went to Washington...I was extremely confused to see the woman serving coffee [in my cafe] also doing sports at my gym, b/c in Turkey that would never happen." https://t.co/qePBOAPYIZ
5
19
635
That's...not true. And also:
@Nick_Ashdown Simply they can earn same salary in Turkey as Europe and expenses much less. You can eat best restaurants in Turkey daily bases, you can use best sport clubs, spend time most luxury places etc. Then why should I move to Europe and share a flat, suffer financialy instead living
7
0
81
@Nick_Ashdown There is a Turkish sociology theory something like confederation of nuclear families, where the working young couples depend on their own parents for cooking, grocery shopping, babysitting etc. you can’t really take all of these benefits to abroad.
2
6
519
Yes, the real issue is the lack of cheap labor in sectors such as cleaning, cooking, mechanical work, and childcare. For instance, in Turkey, many people with upper-middle-class incomes can afford to hire a cleaner once a week; this is neither typical nor realistically possible
Had an interesting conversation with a group of Turkish friends living in Europe about white collar Turks who move here, then move back to Turkey because they don’t like it. The reason we came up with is that they’re used to being part of a ruling class in Turkey, served hand and
15
13
234
And another interesting thing - there's much more of a division between personal and professional life in Europe, whereas in Turkey it's much more common to be friends with your colleagues. The most common word for colleague is literally 'work friend,' iş arkadaşı.
23
34
2K
Also the constructive criticism in the workplace thing here doesn't really exist in Turkey, and takes some getting used to. And fewer job perks for management level positions (like not having your own office, company car, etc.).
4
19
2K
I think they’re also uncomfortable with the huge numbers of immigrants. Of all the cleavages in Turkey, I’ve always thought the class divisions are some of the most consequential, and get the least attention.
6
37
2K
foot by the working classes, but also very isolated from them. In Europe, even if they find good jobs and retain a comfortable life, they don’t find this servile culture and aren’t able to isolate themselves from the masses to the same extent.
9
59
3K