From protracted liminality to fractured homecoming: ıntrafamilial bargaining and the limits of voluntary repatriation for Syrians in Türkiye

Abstract

This essay examines how intrafamilial bargaining and patriarchal hierarchies shape decisions about return among Syrians under Turkey's Temporary Protection Regime, particularly after the December 2024 collapse of the Assad regime and the expansion of return programming. Drawing on fieldwork in Turkey and Syria, it argues that macro‐level depictions of “voluntary” repatriation obscure household‐level dynamics in which men, women and youth hold divergent priorities and unequal power. Three empirical patterns recur: male‐led collective returns that generate intra‐household conflict and covert resistance; fragmented returns in which some family members relocate while others remain to diversify risks; and nominal household consent that masks women's constrained agency and heightens their post‐return vulnerability. The essay shows that voluntariness, safety, and sustainability—core criteria of normative return frameworks—are compromised when return choices are shaped by gendered authority and intergenerational expectations. The essay critiques macro‐level measures of “successful” repatriation for overlooking these micro‐dynamics and recommends new policy perspectives that recognise intra‐household bargaining, ensure women's and youths' independent access to information and services, and integrate gendered security and education concerns into return planning.