Perceptions of farmers about Turkish Gendarmerie: A phenomenological analysis in Bozkurt

Abstract

The aim of this phenomenology study is to reveal what the Turkish Gendarmerie means to Turkish farmers and how it is affected after the experience of agricultural crime victimisation. In this study, semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 farmers who were exposed to agricultural crime between 2017 and 2019 in Bozkurt were analysed with the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis method. Results show that farmers interact with the gendarmerie from their childhood. As time passes, they experience the positive qualities of the gendarmerie and construct a positive perception of the gendarmerie in their minds. Many farmers experience the caring and successful practices of the gendarmerie after being exposed to crime and reinforce their positive perceptions. On the other hand, farmers who are not satisfied with this process do not experience a radical change in their positive perceptions. It is possible to conclude that this situation stems from the positive perception of the gendarmerie that farmers have constructed in their minds since their childhood and that the gendarmerie means much more than a simply a rural police force for them.