In the shadow of displacement, the meaning of home transforms, revealing deep layers of memory, identity, and loss. Recent research sheds light on how Turkish Cypriot internally displaced persons (IDPs) negotiate their sense of belonging through the lens of their childhood homes, their experiences after displacement, and the evolving conception of “home” in their current lives. This narrative unravels the complex interplay between physical space and emotional landscape, exposing the intricate ways that forced migration reshapes individuals’ relationships to place and community over time.
Central to the understanding of these IDPs’ experiences is the nostalgic yearning for their pre-1975 childhood homes, which vividly represent not only physical dwellings but also tightly knit communities characterized by solidarity and collective happiness. Participants’ accounts reveal that nostalgia is not merely sentimental recollection but a dynamic process anchored in shared memories of social cohesion and emotional safety. The neighborhoods of their childhood are remembered as sanctuaries of trust, where locked doors were unnecessary, and the social fabric was woven with mutual aid and familiarity. This profound social cohesion served as a foundation for a shared identity, reinforcing the neighborhood as an extension of the self rather than a mere physical space.
The trauma of displacement ruptured these intimate social networks. Where once fields were harvested communally and neighbors supported one another without hesitation, the experience of forced migration fractured these relationships, rendering the loss tangible and deeply felt. For many, homes ceased to be symbols of security and belonging and became reminders of what was irrevocably lost—a world where collective work, mutual trust, and emotional warmth defined everyday life. This emotional rupture highlights the critical impact displacement has beyond the physical—disrupting an entire way of relating to space and others that underpinned the participants’ identities.
Equally compelling are the sensory dimensions embedded in the participants’ memories, particularly their longing for the natural environment of their former villages. Descriptions enriched with sensory detail—such as the scent of almond blossoms or the aroma of freshly baked bread mingling with the earthy smell of livestock—evoke a multisensory cornucopia of past abundance and pastoral beauty. These vivid recollections illustrate how nature and place entwined to produce a deeply felt sense of home rooted in warmth, beauty, and harmony. Such sensory nostalgia reveals the powerful role of environment in shaping emotional attachments and identity, transcending the mere visual or material aspects of home.
This idealization of the past extends to the notion of cornucopia, or the horn of plenty—a symbol resonant throughout the narratives, underscoring the participants’ memories of self-sufficiency and prosperity. The participants recall times when they cultivated all they needed—from grapes and figs to milk and meat—without reliance on external sources. These recollections are suffused with a bittersweet recognition of autonomy and abundance that contrasts sharply with the precarity and dispossession experienced after displacement. The idealized vision of the past serves as both a psychological refuge and a framework for understanding identity and survival in interrupted lives.
Nostalgia in this context functions as a critical psychological mechanism by which displaced persons anchor their identities amid disruption. The childhood home, far beyond its materiality, emerges as a locus of belonging and selfhood, a place where individuals first “opened their eyes” and developed a profound sense of who they are. This enduring attachment manifests symbolically even in acts like choosing surnames derived from their native villages, underscoring the persistent emotional and cultural ties despite decades of separation. Such ties highlight how memory and longing sustain identities fragmented by forced migration.
However, the opening of checkpoints decades after displacement introduced a dissonant experience between memory and material reality. Returning to their villages, participants encountered scenes of abandonment and ruin that clashed painfully with their idealized memories. This encounter birthed a form of reflective nostalgia, characterized by acute awareness of loss and an often overwhelming sense of grief. The contrast between decorative reminiscence and stark abandonment revealed that nostalgia is not merely about reclaiming or restoring the past but also involves reconciling with its absence and absence’s attendant pain. For many, this moment deepened the wound of displacement, confronting them with tangible evidence of time’s relentless transformation.
Frustration with nostalgia emerges as a psychological and emotional challenge for those who confront the divergence between cherished memories and present realities. Several participants described experiences of shrinking landscapes and unrecognizable villages, leading to profound cognitive and emotional distress. This mismatch between memory and reality exposes the limits of nostalgia as a coping mechanism and forces a reevaluation of identity and belonging in the face of irrevocable change. The psychological toll of such dissonance emphasizes the ongoing struggles of displacement beyond the initial act of forced migration.
Despite the weight of loss, some participants have sought to reconstruct their sense of home through creative acts, such as replicating the architecture of their childhood homes in new locales. These physical recreations reflect a yearning for continuity and familiarity, attempts to re-anchor identity in tangible, recreated forms. Yet, even with these efforts, many acknowledge that the authentic sense of security and community embedded in their original villages remains irreplaceable. The reproduction of physical space cannot fully substitute for the lived experience of place-based belonging, underscoring the inseparability of home from relational and communal dimensions.
The transition from displacement houses—often Greek Cypriot homes left vacant during the conflict—to self-built later homes reflects an evolution in participants’ experiences of belonging. Initial displacement houses were frequently perceived as shelters or temporary refuges “belonging to someone else,” intensifying feelings of alienation and impermanence. In contrast, homes built post-marriage and with personal effort became loci of ownership and self-definition. This shift illustrates how agency, ownership, and intentionality in shaping living spaces contribute profoundly to the restoration of a sense of home and identity, revealing the interplay between physical environment and psychological well-being.
Furthermore, these narratives illustrate important technical dimensions related to the sociology and psychology of displacement and home-making. They bring to light the embodied nature of place attachment—the sensory experiences, collective labor, and social networks that collectively define “home” as a sense of belonging beyond brick and mortar. The research also contributes to understanding how nostalgia operates not as mere sentimentality but as a complex, multifaceted psychological and socio-cultural response to rupture. These insights have implications for urban planning, post-conflict resettlement policies, and psychosocial interventions aimed at displaced populations.
This profound study underscores that “home” is not a static entity but a dynamic, evolving concept intricately linked to social fabric, sensory experience, and identity. The layered narratives of Turkish Cypriot IDPs poignantly reveal how displacement disrupts these layers and how nostalgia functions both as a connective tissue to the past and a crucible of frustration and loss. Importantly, the participants’ voices remind us that the quest for home extends beyond physical location to encompass the restoration of community, memory, and belonging. Their stories compel a reexamination of displacement’s long-term impacts and invite broader reflection on how humans create, lose, and reclaim home in the face of upheaval.
The emotional resonance within these accounts offers a vital lens into the human costs of geopolitical conflict and displacement, emphasizing the necessity of holistic approaches that integrate the psychosocial with the material. By appreciating the nuanced meanings of home articulated through nostalgia, sensory memory, and identity, policymakers, scholars, and practitioners can better support displaced communities in rebuilding lives that honor both memory and current realities. In doing so, they help preserve the enduring human yearning not only to survive displacement but also to belong once again.
As the study vividly documents, home is at once deeply personal and collective, physical and symbolic. The ruins of abandoned villages, the scent of almond trees, the replicated architecture—all serve as evocative symbols reflecting a profound dialogue between past and present. Turkish Cypriot IDPs’ experiences exemplify the complexity of loss and adaptation and demonstrate how displaced communities negotiate continuity and change. Their stories resonate universally, offering critical insights into displacement’s enduring imprint on identity and the transformative power of nostalgia in navigating fractured landscapes of home.
This investigation is part of a growing scholarly effort to foreground displaced persons’ subjective experiences and to enrich understandings of displacement beyond economic or political analyses. By amplifying voices of those directly affected and engaging with interdisciplinary frameworks spanning anthropology, human geography, and psychology, such research endeavors to humanize displacement and contribute toward more compassionate futures. The Turkish Cypriot case contextualizes broader global challenges concerning forced migration, citizenship, memory, and belonging, reinforcing the urgent need for inclusive dialogues and policies that acknowledge the centrality of home in human life.
Ultimately, this work invites continuing reflection on how memory, place, and identity persist and transform in the wake of upheaval. It challenges us to consider what it means to remember—and to forget—as individuals and communities navigate the terrain between loss and resilience. As the echoes of home reverberate through displaced Turkish Cypriots’ narratives, they tell a story not only of separation but also of enduring attachment, hope, and the manifold ways in which “home” is continuously reimagined and reclaimed amid the ruins.
Subject of Research: Experiences of Turkish Cypriot internally displaced persons (IDPs) regarding their perceptions and meanings of home before displacement, after displacement, and in their current lives.
Article Title: Echoes of home: Turkish Cypriot IDPs and home perception in the context of ruins.
Article References:
Canalp, G., Arsoy, A. Echoes of home: Turkish Cypriot IDPs and home perception in the context of ruins. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 12, 1453 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05822-8
Image Credits: AI Generated
