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Wave of Identity in Turkey
17:07 19/01/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/country/view/28677
Six years have passed since Hrant Dink's murder. What has changed in
Turkey? Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, Turkish studies, says Dink's
assassination on January 19, 2007 was a watershed in Turkey's modern
history. What followed this event was another expression of the
identity crisis in the Turkish society. According to him, the Turkish
society is very diverse, which became obvious in the early 2000s, and
Dink's murder played a role.
`After the assassination another surge of rediscovery of identities
concealed, constrained, violated for centuries and decades rose in
Turkey. The Turkish society with its typically closed, timid and
phobic qualities nevertheless transforms very slowly so it is early to
talk about visible and large-scale change although it is impossible to
ignore the existence of their causes,' the expert says.
He adds that one of the six arrows of Kemalism which have shaped the
citizen of Turkey since 1920 was nationalism. The underlying approach
is that the citizen of Turkey is a Turk, and Turkey is a unitary
country. Hence, Dink's murder was not only followed by another stage
of discovery of identity but also led to counteraction.
Another surge of xenophobia followed. It is not accidental that the
Nationalist Movement Party which lost the election in 2002 received
14% in the parliamentary election of July 2007. Armenians and
generally non-Turks do not enjoy confidence of Turkish nationalists
and to them intimidation, punishment, lynching is quite acceptable,
says the expert on Turkish studies.
Vahram Ter-Matevosyan says the Armenians have never been safe in
Turkey. They have never been confident of their future though most of
them perceive Turkey as their homeland and continue to fight for a
secure life there.
17:07 19/01/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/index.php/eng/0/country/view/28677
Six years have passed since Hrant Dink's murder. What has changed in
Turkey? Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, Turkish studies, says Dink's
assassination on January 19, 2007 was a watershed in Turkey's modern
history. What followed this event was another expression of the
identity crisis in the Turkish society. According to him, the Turkish
society is very diverse, which became obvious in the early 2000s, and
Dink's murder played a role.
`After the assassination another surge of rediscovery of identities
concealed, constrained, violated for centuries and decades rose in
Turkey. The Turkish society with its typically closed, timid and
phobic qualities nevertheless transforms very slowly so it is early to
talk about visible and large-scale change although it is impossible to
ignore the existence of their causes,' the expert says.
He adds that one of the six arrows of Kemalism which have shaped the
citizen of Turkey since 1920 was nationalism. The underlying approach
is that the citizen of Turkey is a Turk, and Turkey is a unitary
country. Hence, Dink's murder was not only followed by another stage
of discovery of identity but also led to counteraction.
Another surge of xenophobia followed. It is not accidental that the
Nationalist Movement Party which lost the election in 2002 received
14% in the parliamentary election of July 2007. Armenians and
generally non-Turks do not enjoy confidence of Turkish nationalists
and to them intimidation, punishment, lynching is quite acceptable,
says the expert on Turkish studies.
Vahram Ter-Matevosyan says the Armenians have never been safe in
Turkey. They have never been confident of their future though most of
them perceive Turkey as their homeland and continue to fight for a
secure life there.