An Analysis of Interactions in Intercultural Marriages: A Field Study of Alanya

This study aims to examine the dimensions of the conflicts arising from the interactions of two different cultures in intercultural marriages and to examine under which conditions and the level to which cultural adaptation is provided. This study was conducted with 35 participants who have an intercultural marriage and live in Antalya Province’s Alanya District, where people from many cultures and nationalities can be encountered due to Alanya being a tourist region. This study obtained the data using the semi-structured interview method to investigate the conflict and adaptation that may occur as a result of intercultural marriages. The snowball technique has been used to access the participants. At the end of the interviews conducted with these individuals, foreign spouses’ process of adapting to the Turkish family structure and culture, what they’ve acquired from experiencing cultural conflict, and what conflict and adaptation processes they experienced were examined within the scope of family and social environments. The findings from the study have been compiled within the framework of conflict and adaptation as a result of cultural interaction.

Phenotypic distinctions of BLM- and RMI1-associated Bloom syndrome

Bloom syndrome (BS) is an autosomal recessive disease with characteristic clinical features of primary microcephaly, growth deficiency, skin lesions, cancer predisposition, and immunodeficiency. Here, we report the clinical and molecular findings of eight patients from six families diagnosed with BS. We identified causative mutations in all families, three different homozygous mutations in BLM and one causative homozygous mutation in RMI1. The homozygous c.581_582delTT (p.Phe194*) and c.3164G>C (p.Cys1055Ser) mutations in BLM have already been reported in BS patients, while the c.572_573delGA (p.Arg191Lysfs*4) is novel. Interestingly, whole-exome sequencing revealed a homozygous loss-of-function mutation in RMI1 in two BS patients of a consanguineous Turkish family. All BS patients had primary microcephaly, intrauterine growth delay, and short stature, presenting the phenotypic hallmarks of BS. However, a narrow face, skin lesions, and upper airway infections were observed only in some of the patients. Overall, patients with homozygous BLM mutations had a more severe BS phenotype compared to patients carrying the homozygous RMI1 mutation, especially in terms of immunodeficiency and associated recurrent infections. Low-level immunoglobulins were observed in all BLM-mutated patients, emphasizing the immunodeficiency profile of the disease, which should be considered as an important phenotypic characteristic of BS, especially in the current Covid-19 pandemic era.

Islam, the Homeland, and the Family: Diyanet’s Narrative and Practices Aimed at Shaping a Loyal Muslim Turkish Diaspora

With the inclusion of women among the religious officers of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) who are serving abroad, the “ideal Turkish family” has become the main program underlying projects and activities oriented towards women, families, and young people. This international mission has led to an expansion of religious services and moral support in order to reinforce a religion–nation–family nexus within the diaspora. This article examines how the Diyanet officers reproduce the Islam–nation–family intersection as a discourse to be propagated to the diaspora, and whether this narrative reinforces Turkey’s attempts to create loyalty to Turkey within the diaspora. Based on ethnographic observations, an analysis of Diyanet official publications, and interviews with Diyanet officers at mosques in Vienna and Stockholm, this article shows the extent to which the Diyanet’s international mission is a catalyst for the dissemination of nationalist, moral, and religious values within the diaspora, how Diyanet officers are actively involved in fostering a religious-national discourse within diaspora communities and how they specifically reinforce the connection between Islam, the Turkish nation, and the traditional Turkish family.

The Role of Extended Family Relations and Rituals in Family Resilience Following Loss of Mother to Cancer: A Case Study in Turkey

The loss of the mother leads to many changes in the family. The loss might have negative effects on the ones that are left behind. However, some family members do not show pathological symptoms; rather, they have healthy functioning despite their sad loss. Guided by the resilience perspective, this study illuminates the case of a Turkish family after the mother dies due to stomach cancer. The whole picture of a family after this loss was examined through using various data sources. Transcribed interviews with family members and teachers of two children in the family were investigated through thematic analysis, and five major themes were identified. Extended family relations and rituals, such as funeral services, meals after the funeral, or visiting the grave of the lost one, were found to be helpful toward positive grief experiences and resilience of the family members in the aftermath of the loss. This study was important in the sense that it gave an in-depth perspective of a Muslim family who lost the maternal parent, which is considered a person's most important attachment figure.

Clinical and molecular genetic description of a new type of mucopolysaccharidosis in Yakutia

Введение. В статье приведены клинические и молекулярно-генетические характеристики нового наследственного заболевания с аутосомно-рецессивным типом наследования - мукополисахаридоз-плюс синдрома, впервые описанного в якутской популяции и в одной турецкой семье. Синдром относится к группе лизосомных заболеваний и был внесен в международную базу наследственных заболеваний OMIM под номером # 617303. Цель: дать клиническую и молекулярно-генетическую характеристику мукополисахаридоз-плюс синдрома у пациентов, наблюдавшихся в Якутии с 2006 по 2020 год. Методы. Объектом исследования послужили клинические данные из генетических карт 17 пациентов из 15 якутских семей, наблюдавшихся и состоявших в Республиканском генетическом регистре наследственной и врожденной патологии Медико-генетического центра «Республиканской больницы №1 - Национального центра медицины» в городе Якутске. Результаты. Клиническая картина у пациентов проявляется типичными признаками мукополисахаридозов, но с более тяжелым течением заболевания, приводящим к ранней младенческой смерти. У всех больных обнаружена мутация p.R498W в гене VPS33A в гомозиготном состоянии, у их родителей - в гетерозиготном. Заключение. Характерным признаком мукополисахаридоз-плюс синдрома является ранняя манифестация, быстропрогрессирующее течение с мультисистемным поражением легких, почек, сердца, центральной нервной и гемопоэтической систем и младенческая смертность. Background. This article provides data on the clinical and molecular genetic description of a new hereditary disease with an autosomal recessive inheritance - mucopolysaccharidosis-plus syndrome, first described in the Yakut population and in one Turkish family. The syndrome belongs to the group of lysosomal diseases and was included into the international database of hereditary diseases OMIM under the number # 617303. Aim. To describe clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of mucopolysaccharidosis-plus syndrome in patients observed in Yakutia from 2006 to 2020. Methods. The material for the study was clinical data from genetic records of 17 patients from 15 Yakut families, who were observed and registered in the «Republican genetic register of hereditary and congenital pathology of the Medical Genetic Center of the Republic hospital No. 1 - National Center of Medicine» in Yakutsk city. Results. The clinical phenotype is manifested by typical clinical signs of mucopolysaccharidosis, but with a more severe course of the disease, leading to early infant death of patients. Mucopolysaccharidosis-plus syndrome cannot be diagnosed enzymatically. All patients were found to have a specific p.R498W mutation in the VPS33A gene in a homozygous state, and in their parents in a heterozygous state. Conclusions. A characteristic sign of mucopolysaccharidosis plus syndrome is early manifestation and infant mortality, as well as multisystem damage to organs: lungs, kidneys, heart, central nervous and hemopoietic systems.

The influence of board independence on dividend policy in controlling agency problems in family firms

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of board independence on the cash dividend payments of family firms listed on the Borsa Istanbul (BIST) in balancing controlling families’ power to mitigate agency problems between family and minority shareholders in the post-2012 period. The authors focus on this period because Turkish authorities implemented mandatory regulations on the employment of independent directors on boards from fiscal year 2012. Design/methodology/approach The research model uses a panel dataset of 153 BIST-listed family firms over the period 2012–2017, employs alternative dependent variables and regression techniques and is applied to various sub-groups to improve robustness. Findings The empirical results show a strong positive effect of board independence on dividend decisions. The authors further detect that family directorship exhibits a negative effect, whereas both board size and audit committees have positive influences but chief executive officer (CEO)/duality has had no significant impact on the dividend policies of Turkish family firms since the new compulsory legal requirements in the Turkish market. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that independent directorship and dividend policy are complementary governance mechanisms to reduce agency conflicts between families and minority shareholders in Turkey, which is a civil law-based emerging country characterized by high family ownership concentration. Practical implications The authors present evidence that Turkish family firms’ corporate boards have evolved, to some extent, from being managerial rubber stamps to more independent boards that raise opposing voices in family decision-making. However, independent directors’ preference for dividend-induced capital market monitoring implies that their direct monitoring is less effective than it is supposed to be. This suggests a need to revise the Turkish Corporate Governance Principles to enhance independent directors’ monitoring and supervisory power. Originality/value This is thought to be the first study to provide insights on how board independence influences dividend policy in controlling agency problems in Turkish family firms since Turkish authorities introduced compulsory rules on the employment of independent directors on boards.

The Emergence of Islamist Official and Unofficial Laws in the Erdoganist Turkey: The Case of Child Marriages

Religion in the hands of authoritarian governments can prove to be an effective political instrument to further their agenda. This paper attempts to explore this aspect of authoritarianism with the case of Turkish family laws under Erdoganist Islamist legal pluralism. The paper analyzes the AKP’s government’s attempts at pro-Islamist legislation, fatwas produced by Diyanet (Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs) and by pro-government right-wing religious scholars to explore the changes that have occurred, both formally and informally, in the largely secular family laws of the Republic of Turkey in the last decade. By focusing on the age of marriage, this paper tries to understand the impact of Islamist legal pluralism and unofficial Islamist laws on the formal legal system as well as the social implications of this plural socio-legal reality, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the poor, refugees, children, and women. The trends demonstrate the informal system’s skew towards Islamism, patriarchy and disregard for fundamental rights. This Islamist legal plurality almost always operates against the women and underage girls, which creates profound individual and social problems. The paper concludes by pointing out the critical issues emerging in the domain of family law due to the link between the growing power of Islamist legal pluralism and its political instrumentalization by the Justice and Development Party (AKP).