Gurbet/Far away

Sweden had been largely closed to immigration until the 1960s when the government began accepting immigrants in the form of guest workers in response to the need for a more cost effective and flexible labour force.  

These immigrants were mainly of Turkish nationality, many of whom relocated with the idea that they would visit Sweden to make their fortune and return to invest in an even more prosperous future in Turkey. However, hardly any of these Turkish immigrants did return. Instead, they formed a type of dual community in the suburbs of Stockholm that allowed them to maintain an essential bond with their roots whilst protecting them from a culture alien to them. A result of which meant that they were never fully integrated into Swedish society.

The subsequent generation, who were the first generation to be born in Sweden, were never given a fair chance to be part of Swedish society. This was partly down to Swedish politics on immigration, but also owed something to the fact that the Turkish community kept a strong hold of their own cultural identity and did not allow themselves to become "Swedish" out of fear of betraying their roots.

Born into this community, I have often felt that I have been living in a bubble, where people's developments are often hindered and where an awareness of the wider world is obscured. Since moving away from Sweden my inner conflict between my history and my expectations has been more apparent and my search for my own identity has become stronger. While I have been returning to Stockholm to photograph the people of the Turkish community I have discovered a different flow of life and although many of the community members discuss the dream of one day returning "home" there is a silent feeling that it wont happen.