Healthcare beyond the humanitarian niche: Syrian refugee-led organizations in Turkey

In the wake of war and displacement, refugee-led organizations often emerge in host states to meet co-nationals’ needs. How do the politics of refugee reception shape the operations and trajectories of these organizations? This paper analyzes the persistence of Syrian refugee-run health clinics in Turkey despite the country’s provision of free Arabic-language healthcare to Syrians registered under temporary protection. Drawing on 64 interviews with actors in Istanbul’s refugee healthcare field, the paper develops the concept of a humanitarian niche—a space that emerges in response to refugee needs that is shaped by both host country policies of reception and the human capital refugees bring to their organizations. Refugee-led organizations endure when they align with host state humanitarian and political objectives and accrue legitimacy and resources. Crucially, this alignment extends from the host country to the refugees’ home country, encompassing a broader geopolitical field. Refugee-led organizations that successfully navigate these dynamics can leverage resources to become permanent fixtures in the host state’s organizational terrain. The paper demonstrates how refugees actively shape and contribute to host state policy and service provider landscapes, even as their long-term integration remains uncertain.