LEGAL FUGITIVES OF THE BORDER: MACEDONIAN BRIDE MIGRANTS

The claims that migrations from Balkans to Turkey are due to political and economic reasons are not comprehensive regarding conditions today. Socio-cultural factors should also be mentioned as a motivation for migrations from Balkans to Turkey. This study claims that Macedonian Turkish women migrate to Turkey through marriage. Accordingly, the study focuses on Macedonian women’s decision and process of migration and suggests that there is a need for new readings of elopement and borders depending on two notions as running away (elopement) to Turkey to get married and cross border marriages. The sample of the study is women who migrated to Ergene, Tekirda？ due to their marriages. The topic of the study is cross-border marriage of these women who eloped to get married. Semi-structured interviews were held with these women. Eight out of thirty-one women interviewed were interviewed in depth. The process of their elopement and their decision to migrate were examined through their narration. Main findings of the interviews show that women migration is added to the Balkans’ classical migration categories, that women can migrate on their own as brides, and that families taking an attitude and/or long process of marriage preparations rather than the push/pull factors of home/destination countries play an important role while taking migration decision