Hybrid Cuisine Practices and Diasporic Identity: A Phenomenological Inquiry into Chechen Migrants in Başakşehir

Abstract

Migration is not merely a spatial relocation but also a process in which identity, belonging, and cultural practices are renegotiated. Within this process, cuisine emerges as a distinctive arena in which traditional practices are sustained, new cultural interactions are registered, and religious norms are enacted. This study examines the experiences of cultural adaptation, identity, and belonging of Chechen migrants living in the Başakşehir district of Istanbul through their culinary practices, with particular attention to the role of religious norms. The paper adopts a phenomenological design, using snowball sampling to conduct in-depth interviews (average length of 41 minutes) with 10 participants (five women, five men). The study uses reflexive thematic analysis to analyze the data, with the analysis having yielded five themes: migration and settlement as the grounds for culinary practices; the use of cuisine to protect cultural identity; hybrid culinary practices and cultural adaptation; the impact of religious values on eating practices; and table rituals, hospitality, and community bonds. The study maps migrant cuisine in the Chechen diaspora as a third-space practice where identity is preserved, hybridization unfolds, and religious norms operate as a form of intracommunity discipline.