ABSTRACT
Turkey has been among the countries that have experienced the devastating effects of earthquakes from past to present and has witnessed mass migrations after earthquakes. The February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık- Elbistan earthquakes affected 14 million people, killing 53,537, injuring 107,204 and displacing millions. Hatay is one of the provinces most affected by these earthquakes. In Hatay, 23,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake, 254,000 houses and 55,000 workplaces were destroyed and 164,247 people migrated after the earthquake according to TURKSTAT data. From this point of view, the study focuses on the population mobility in Hatay after the earthquake. The aim of the research is to analyze the challenges faced in the migrated cities and the return processes in the context of spatial belonging, urban memory, and integration. The study involved in-depth interviews with 15 participants who had left Hatay after the earthquake and later returned. The interviews were conducted in the Antakya and Altınözü districts of Hatay, in locations such as tents, container camps, and prefabricated houses, based on the participants’ preferences. The study employed a basic qualitative research methodology, utilizing snowball sampling, and the data were analyzed through thematic analysis. In the study, data collection techniques included interviews as well as observations and field notes. The findings revealed that socio-cultural factors played a dominant role in decisions to return to Hatay. Spatial belonging and urban memory were found to have a significant impact on these decisions, while the integration process in the cities where people had migrated was insufficient. This highlights that the return migrations were directly linked to individuals’ emotional and cultural attachments.