Diasporic Heritage and Identity in Urban Space The Case of Izmir, Turkey

Social change dynamics and debates such as migration are at the forefront of the phenomena that determine and affect the ways in which individuals and societies' search for identity as well as the construction of cultural heritage. The migration of people living on the same lands for centuries to other settlements causes an intercultural interaction with a physical change in the urban space and the formation of urban identity. The existence and protection of diasporas is a cultural heritage in terms of both the culture of these societies and the building bridges of humanity between cultures. This diaspora legacy contains authentic remnants of tangible heritage and intercultural influences of intangible heritage. While the coexistence of different cultures strengthens the relationship between culture and tourism, diaspora tourism, which is revealed by the diaspora heritage, also causes changes in the urban space. The city of Izmir, which carries the traces of many ancient civilizations throughout its history, hosts different diaspora groups with its multicultural texture. This study includes qualitative analysis of data obtained from interviews with different associations and foundations representing diaspora groups living in Izmir. As a result, this study draws out migration stories of the members of the diaspora, the images of the homeland they tried to keep alive in the urban space, their connections and visits, their efforts to build a diasporic identity through material or spiritual patterns, and the intergenerational transfer of the social memory in the diaspora and its reflections in the urban space were revealed.