Abstract
This study examines the lived experiences of academically gifted Turkish academics who were forcibly displaced following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. The study aims to explore how giftedness shapes experiences of persecution, exile, and professional reintegration in host countries. Using a narrative inquiry research design, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight displaced Turkish academics who resettled in other countries. Data were analyzed thematically to examine both structural conditions and individual adaptation processes. Four interrelated themes emerged: (1) ambivalence toward the “gifted” label, often reframed through humility, faith, or cultural norms; (2) giftedness as both a resource and a liability facilitating survival and mobility abroad while increasing vulnerability to persecution at home; (3) adaptation shaped less by individual ability than by systemic barriers such as language, credential recognition, and academic labor markets; and (4) identity reconstruction, with belonging shifting from national institutions to fragile diasporic and interpersonal networks. Findings suggest that giftedness in exile is context-dependent and fragile, continually renegotiated under conditions of loss, resilience, and structural constraint. The study highlights how exceptional ability does not insulate individuals from marginalization and may, in authoritarian contexts, intensify exposure to risk.