European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 23, Number 2 (2011) 183 Southern Anatolian Project (SAP) and Forced Migration in Turkey: Resettlement in Aydin/Didim and Konya/Yenikent due to Karakaya Dam Zuhal Guler Abant Izzet Baysal University, Department of Sociology E-mail: zuhalguler69@hotmail.com; guler_z1@ibu.edu.tr Fax: +90 374 253 4642 Gokhan Savas Syracuse University, Department of Sociology E-mail: gokhansavas@gmail.com ; gsavas@syr.edu Fax: +1 315 443 4597 Abstract The aim of this study is to compare the lives of families in Denizkoy (115 households) and Yenikent Village (132 households) who were influenced by one of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP-SAP) dams before and after they were resettled by the state ‘out of the region.’ By focusing on rural and urban characteristics, the purpose of this analytical comparison is to identify the cultural pattern formed by their (dis)integration to the regions where they resettled. The questions this essay addresses are: If the construction of a dam is inevitable for the development of the state and the region, is it possible to make a balance between the winners and the losers in terms of social costs? If so, in what ways can this balance be made? We aim to examine the notion of sustainable development from the perspective of those directly influenced by the Karakaya Dam who were subject to rural resettlement out of the region. Within this context, we conducted interviews with people from 200 households (100 from each village). The data was collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Keywords: Social change, resettlement,social integration, dam, forced migration. 1. Introduction The aim of this study is to compare the lives of families before and after their settlements/land were flooded by the Karakaya Dam in the East Anatolia Region of Turkey. The state resettled these families out of the region, specifically in Denizkoy, a village of the Didim district in Aydin province (Aegean Region) and in Yenikent Village in Konya province (Central Anatolia). These two villages were built to accommodate those affected by the construction of the dam. The study has three main aims: to compare the socio-economic profiles of families before and after resettlement in two different regions; to identify the impact of this resettlement on families as well as on the existing social and economic patterns; and to identify integration problems in the lives of the displaced individuals. With data from the Denizkoy and Yenikent Villages, we attempt to find answers to the following questions: what kind of sustainable development resettlement policies can reduce the social costs caused by the dam and prevent the unjust treatment of those affected? Is the most suitable resettlement region inside or outside of the region? Are urban or rural locations most appropriate for resettlement?