Free Time and Leisure Activities of West African International Students in Turkey: Between Integration and Identity Withdrawal

Abstract

Leisure occupies a prominent place in the practices of daily life. Especially for international students who have a routine in their own country, their daily life habits may change or be interrupted due to economic, psychological, social and cultural reasons when they travel to other countries. It's in this perspective, the present study focused on how West African international students spend their free time and the effect of free time on their cultural interaction in Turkish cities. Thus, within the framework of the present study, the individual qualities of the international students, group membership and environmental factors were analyzed, on the other hand, cultural interaction, cultural differences, cultural conflicts, solidarity social, cultural recognition, adaptation and social exclusion were mentioned. The fact that there are a minority of studies in the literature that address leisure practices of international students from the perspective of cultural interaction makes this study unique and aims to contribute to the literature. This study, which has a phenomenological approach centered on the experiences of individuals in daily life, was conducted using qualitative research methods. The maximum diversity sampling method was preferred and the students were reached with the snowball method. Nineteen international students from West Africa were contacted and in-depth interviews were conducted in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Students between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-nine, of different socio-economic levels, preparing master's and doctorate were affected. The data collected using the descriptive analysis technique was interpreted within the framework of predetermined themes/titles. As a result of the study, it was found that international students spend their free time chatting with African friends who share a common culture, traveling occasionally and mostly studying. It has been observed that some international students socialize by playing sports and taking Turkish language courses. Due to the common language, space and culture within this network of relationships, West African students spend more time with students of African descent and feel closeness creating a sense of belonging. Due to cultural differences, they may come into conflict with other groups, be excluded and encounter various problems.