Rural Crime Studies in Turkey: A Systematic Literature Review
Talha ŞenolCrime research on rural areas in Turkey has not been adequately addressed in general crime research and has become a neglected are of research. However, the phenomenon of crime in rural areas and the necessity of generating solutions to this phenomenon is a reality. This study aims to systematically review the very limited rural crime studies and present a literature review. This study focuses on crime studies in rural areas in Turkey. All kinds of research such as articles, books, and theses written in Turkish and English on the subject were included in scanning the determined databases. It is assumed that the study will benefit rural crime researchers in terms of seeing the field more clearly, which studies are more focussed, which methods are used more, and what kind of gaps are in the field. According to the results of the study, it was observed that forest crimes were studied extensively, and there was a slow increase in the studies of public order crimes in rural areas. In addition, it is interpreted that quantitative researche relatively dominant in the field and that more qualitative research on the causes of crime is needed.
Türkiye’de Kırsal Suç Araştırmaları: Sistematik Literatür Değerlendirmesi
Talha ŞenolTürkiye’de kırsal bölgeler üzerine yapılan suç araştırmaları genel suç araştırmaları içerisinde yeterince ele alınmamış ve ihmal edilen bir araştırma alanı olmuştur. Suçun daha yoğun olarak kentlerde görünür olması ve sosyal bilimlerin kent merkezli ortaya çıkması suç araştırmalarının kentleri ele alırken kırsaldaki suç olgusunu ihmal etmesine de zemin hazırlamıştır. Bununla birlikte kırsaldaki suç olgusu ve bu olguya çözümler üretilmesi gerekliliği bir gerçekliktir. Kırsala özgü kolluk kuvveti bulunan ülkemizde ise kırsal suç araştırmaları oldukça sınırlıdır. Bu çalışma ile birlikte oldukça sınırlı olan kırsal suç araştırmalarının sistematik olarak taranması ve bir literatür değerlendirmesi ortaya konulması hedeflenmiştir. Çalışmada Türkiye’de kırsal alanlar üzerine yapılmış suç araştırmalarına odaklanılmıştır. Belirlenmiş veri tabanları taranarak konu ile ilgili Türkçe ve İngilizce olarak kaleme alınmış makale, kitap, tez gibi her türlü araştırma taramaya dahil edilmiştir. Çalışmanın kırsal suç araştırmacılarına alanı daha net görebilmeleri, hangi çalışmalara daha fazla odaklanıldığı, daha çok hangi yöntemlerin kullanıldığı ve alanda ne tür boşlukların olduğu konularında fayda sağlayacağı varsayılmıştır. Çalışma sonuçlarına göre orman suçlarının fazlaca ele alındığı, kırsaldaki asayiş suçları çalışmalarında ise yavaş bir canlanma olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Bunun yanında nicel araştırmaların alanda görece ağırlık gösterdiği, suçun nedenlerini anlamaya yönelik nitel tasarımlı araştırmalara daha fazla ihtiyaç duyulduğu değerlendirilmektedir.
Rural crime research, which focuses on crime and deviance in rural areas and communities, has been little addressed and mostly neglected within mainstream crime research (Donnermeyer, Scott and Barclay 2013). The prominence of cities as places where crime is more visible in the public sphere, the early sociological analyses being conducted in urban areas, and the consideration of crime as an issue needing urgent resolution in cities have led to a focus on urban-centred crime research within mainstream studies. Although this situation is quite natural and necessary, the focus on the city has also caused a negative situation that leaves rural crime research aside. However, crime also exists in rural areas and that it needs to be addressed through various researches and solutions must be produced. In the national literature, rural crime research is quite limited. This study aims to systematically review rural crime research and present a literature review.
A systematic literature review refers to the systematic use and evaluation of clearly expressed questions to identify, select, and evaluate relevant research (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaf and Altman 2009). Although systematic literature reviews are mostly related to the field of health, they have also been used in social sciences in recent years and have achieved successful results (Dacombe, 2018).
This study focuses on crime research conducted in rural areas in Turkey. By scanning the designated databases, all types of research that could be obtained from databases, such as articles, books, and theses written in Turkish and English, were included in the scanning. In the studies, it was especially considered that rural areas and rural communities were the focus. This study aims to systematically review rural crime research, which has just begun to be addressed in national literature, and to provide a resource for researchers in this field. It is assumed that such studies will benefit rural crime researchers in terms of being able to see the field more clearly, which areas are more focussed on, which methods are used more, and what kind of gaps there are in the field. It is also thought that it will help new systematic literature reviews as rural crime research increases in the future.
For this purpose, 581 results were obtained as a result of scanning the keywords determined in the study in the determined databases between 01.05.2023 and 01.06.2023. Because of the application of the review and selection criteria, 89 studies were registered for further review. As a result of a detailed review, it was determined that 17 of these studies were duplicates and 30 of them were unrelated to rural crime or rural society. A final list was created and 42 studies were determined on which the rural crime literature would be reviewed.
When the literature is examined, there are 21 theses (4 of which are at doctoral level), 19 articles, 1 paper, and 1 book related to rural crime research. It can be observed that the number of studies on rural crimes has increased over the years. When topics related to rural crime research are examined, forest crimes, which can be considered among environmental crimes, and rural public order crimes take the lead. There are also studies that focus directly on a type of crime, such a as blood feud.
The study concludes that rural crime research in Turkey is still in its infancy. Although studies on the phenomenon of crime in rural areas, through both forest and rural violence crimes, began in early periods, the field has not developed as expected despite increased research opportunities and data sources. It can be said that the transformation of rural and urban areas in Turkey has a great impact on this. As mentioned, although the studies started as early as the 60s, the migration from rural to urban areas, societal transformation, and the decrease in the impact of agriculture on the gross domestic product, especially after the 80s, paved the way for the concentration of interest in the city in social sciences and the neglect of studies on rural areas. However, there has been a revival in studies on rural crime, especially after 2010, but it should be noted that many points remain untouched for researchers planning to conduct studies in this field.
