International students have the potential to reinforce Türkiye’s global position culturally, politically and economically, an academic said.
Professor Ali Zafer Sağıroğlu, an academic at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University’s Center for Migration Policies and Research (CMPR), commented on the debates surrounding international student mobility and xenophobia in Türkiye to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Sarıoğlu said that while the refugee issue was not politicized for a long time in Türkiye, it has become a political issue, particularly after the 2019 local elections, influencing both ruling and opposition parties with propaganda against foreigners, especially Syrians, who had small voting percentages.
“There are two types of politics. You can give hope to people; explain your projects, which of course requires technical expertise and skills. Fear politics, on the other hand, is an easier way of doing politics. That’s why politicians and media organizations can use fear of foreigners as a tool of interest,” he said.
Sağıroğlu added that the diminishing popularity of parties engaged in fear politics due to the government’s improved management capacity and policies related to the issue, indicating low voting percentages received by these parties in the recent local elections.
Sağıroğlu also said that the increasing anti-foreigner trend in Türkiye in recent years is not limited to international students. He added that the sentiment has risen against all foreigners, especially those under temporary protection status, such as Syrians.
“A climate of fear has emerged, particularly over people under temporary protection status from Syria. It can be said that much of the negativity and debates about international students stem largely from here.”
The number of international students in the country, which was around 18,000 in the early 2000s, has exceeded 300,000 as of 2024, Sagiroglu said, adding that Türkiye has climbed to be among the top 10 countries hosting the most international students globally.
Sağıroğlu pointed out that the increasing population of international students in Türkiye is linked to the country’s desire to develop its economy and hinterland in international politics.
“International student mobility provides significant economic returns. Beyond that, there is also a public diplomacy aspect to it. It has various cultural, political and economic effects on international politics in the medium and long term. Türkiye, aiming to be a global political actor, is also trying to get a share of the large pie of international student mobility worldwide. Of course, many aspects of this issue need to be corrected and improved, but closing the doors entirely to international students is not a realistic or healthy approach,” the academic said.
The country has raised its profile as an international education hub in recent years, thanks to the proliferation of private and public universities and incentives such as new scholarship programs. The country’s changing profile in international affairs and its improved bilateral relations in the past decade contributed to the rising number of students.
Yet, Türkiye also faces an escalation, especially on social media, of xenophobia and racism. It is more related to the growing number of migrants and refugees in the country, but occasionally, international students are the target of verbal harassment on social media.
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