Syrian Refugee Women’s Solidarity Networks Through Kitchens

Marmara & Istanbul Şehir University | October 2018 – June 2020

This master’s research explored how Syrian refugee women in Turkey navigate displacement through participation in solidarity kitchens—community-based spaces for food preparation and mutual aid. Fieldwork was conducted at three kitchen projects and included interviews with women, founders, and volunteers, capturing how these kitchens function as sites of social connection, caregiving, and collective resilience. The research revealed both the empowering potential and internal tensions of grassroots solidarity: while the kitchens generally offered support and visibility, some also reflected hierarchies and uneven power dynamics. Moreover, their sustainability was shaped by broader institutional and funding relationships, complicating assumptions about the autonomy and egalitarianism of informal support networks.