Marriage and family transformation processes: Ossetian diaspora in Turkey

The study considers the transformation of ethnic and social characteristics in the Ossetian diaspora in Turkey. Living in a foreign environment, immigrants face another system of sociocultural values. They have to adapt to new living conditions. At the same time, they try to preserve their identity, traditions, and culture. The family-marriage segment of the diaspora undergoes complex and painful transformations. In 2016, the authors conducted the research on this component of the diaspora. The purpose of the study was to analyze the processes taking place in the Ossetian diaspora family in Turkey and determine the changes in its formation, functioning, and structure. Diaspora is an open, susceptible system. The authors hypothesize that there is a complex interaction of ethnic groups causing a significant reduction in the total amount of traditional ethnic values of a particular diaspora in the context of extremely intensive contacts of the Ossetian diaspora with other nations (Turkish, Kurdish ones). There is a trend towards strengthening the assimilation processes and changes in the marital component of the diaspora.