Tweet
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 25 2014
Statues and identities
by SEVGÄ° KURU AÇIKGÃ-Z
The oppressive and polarizing character of the Turkish political
system has produced identities whose realities and sacred figures
contradict with each other. Recently, a statue of a slain PKK militant
was set up at a graveyard in a town in Turkey's Southeast.
The reaction of the Turkish people was nationalistic; many declared
the event as unacceptable and blamed the government for its lack of
authority and power on the matter. The details of how the statue could
have been set up without the acknowledgment of government authorities
is an issue that could be seen as a technical one. The important point
was that this event again emphasized how polarized the contradicting
identities of Turkey are.
Statues have always been a way to express feelings. Statues of
historic individuals or a historic event help construct or consolidate
political or ethnic identities. Statues are heroes for some
identities, while enemies for the others. The message a statue
represents has always been important in the Turkish Republic, since
the placement of a portrait sculptures of the founder of the republic,
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is obligatory in all schools and many official
buildings. It is also obligatory in schools to sing the national
anthem in front of Atatürk's sculpture on Mondays before classes start
and on Fridays after the end of school. Although it is obligatory,
there are several political or ethnic groups that do not feel
comfortable with this practice in Turkey.
In many cities of Turkey, one can come across statues of people who
had fought in the War of Independence. For most Turkish people, the
men and women in the statues are heroes of the country. But for the
silent minorities of Turkey, some of these people have a notorious
past of which the majority is not aware of. While the statue of the
PKK militant was being hotly debated, the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos
published an article putting special emphasis on this issue. According
to the article, some of the Turkish heroes of the War of Independence
whose statues were set up in city centers committed brutal acts
against the Armenian population of that time.
The war in the Southeast of Turkey, which has endured for three
decades, constructed new opposing histories and heroes in Turkish
society. The PKK militants are regarded by the majority of Turks as
criminal, brutal terrorists who challenged the security of the country
and killed innocent people. They are accused of being murderers of
both civilians and Turkish soldiers, who are called martyrs. On the
other hand, though not for all, a significant part of the Kurdish
population see the PKK militants as fighters of independence and
equality, the courageous people who stand against the brutalities of
the state.
The opposing contradiction between the identities of Turkey is mostly
due to historical traumas. The reconstruction of history through
setting up statues does not seem good for a reciprocal, peaceful
coexistence. Indeed, these incidents seem to have paved the way for
violent confrontations and each violent clash is just deepening the
margins of the identity, while making it more inflexible toward a
reconciliation.
What Turkey needs is to concentrate on today and try to build a dream
of a peaceful tomorrow without yesterday's feelings of revenge, loss
or pride.
http://www.todayszaman.com/blog/sevgi-kuru-acikgoz/statues-and-identities_356676.html
From: A. Papazian
Aug 25 2014
Statues and identities
by SEVGÄ° KURU AÇIKGÃ-Z
The oppressive and polarizing character of the Turkish political
system has produced identities whose realities and sacred figures
contradict with each other. Recently, a statue of a slain PKK militant
was set up at a graveyard in a town in Turkey's Southeast.
The reaction of the Turkish people was nationalistic; many declared
the event as unacceptable and blamed the government for its lack of
authority and power on the matter. The details of how the statue could
have been set up without the acknowledgment of government authorities
is an issue that could be seen as a technical one. The important point
was that this event again emphasized how polarized the contradicting
identities of Turkey are.
Statues have always been a way to express feelings. Statues of
historic individuals or a historic event help construct or consolidate
political or ethnic identities. Statues are heroes for some
identities, while enemies for the others. The message a statue
represents has always been important in the Turkish Republic, since
the placement of a portrait sculptures of the founder of the republic,
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is obligatory in all schools and many official
buildings. It is also obligatory in schools to sing the national
anthem in front of Atatürk's sculpture on Mondays before classes start
and on Fridays after the end of school. Although it is obligatory,
there are several political or ethnic groups that do not feel
comfortable with this practice in Turkey.
In many cities of Turkey, one can come across statues of people who
had fought in the War of Independence. For most Turkish people, the
men and women in the statues are heroes of the country. But for the
silent minorities of Turkey, some of these people have a notorious
past of which the majority is not aware of. While the statue of the
PKK militant was being hotly debated, the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos
published an article putting special emphasis on this issue. According
to the article, some of the Turkish heroes of the War of Independence
whose statues were set up in city centers committed brutal acts
against the Armenian population of that time.
The war in the Southeast of Turkey, which has endured for three
decades, constructed new opposing histories and heroes in Turkish
society. The PKK militants are regarded by the majority of Turks as
criminal, brutal terrorists who challenged the security of the country
and killed innocent people. They are accused of being murderers of
both civilians and Turkish soldiers, who are called martyrs. On the
other hand, though not for all, a significant part of the Kurdish
population see the PKK militants as fighters of independence and
equality, the courageous people who stand against the brutalities of
the state.
The opposing contradiction between the identities of Turkey is mostly
due to historical traumas. The reconstruction of history through
setting up statues does not seem good for a reciprocal, peaceful
coexistence. Indeed, these incidents seem to have paved the way for
violent confrontations and each violent clash is just deepening the
margins of the identity, while making it more inflexible toward a
reconciliation.
What Turkey needs is to concentrate on today and try to build a dream
of a peaceful tomorrow without yesterday's feelings of revenge, loss
or pride.
http://www.todayszaman.com/blog/sevgi-kuru-acikgoz/statues-and-identities_356676.html
From: A. Papazian