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LET'S MAKE 'TURKISH' GEOGRAPHIC, NOT ETHNIC
Al-Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2012/06/turkey-has-a-turkish-problem.html
June 21 2012
By:Hadi Uleungin posted on Thursday, Jun 21, 2012
After a long interval, we are again optimistic about the Kurdish
question. The introduction of Kurdish as an elective course into the
educational curriculum is a first step toward solving this issue. This
is a very important accomplishment, especially because for years
Turkey's official policy was based on a denial of the Kurdish state.
Indeed, this should be considered a major leap forward.
However, this is not enough.
Turkey does not have a Kurdish problem, or an Armenian one. Turkey has
a Turkish problem. The founding fathers of the republic established
Turkey's identity on a narrow and exclusive ethnic definition. What
I mean by the "Turkish problem" is the imposition of Turkishness on
other ethnic groups and the endeavor to assimilate them. This policy
is epitomized in one of Ataturk's sayings: "How happy is the one who
says 'I am a Turk!'"
We should admit that these assimilation policies failed to make
these groups forget or forsake their own identities. If we want to
overcome these issues, we need to redefine the basis of citizenship
in this country.
The French identity is an inclusive one that recognizes the different
ethnicities it encompasses, such as the Franks, Bretons, Occitanians
and the Flemish. The Spanish identity unifies Castilians with the
Catalans, Basques and Galicians. The Italian identity fuses the Latins,
Lombards and Sicilians.
Though there may be some exceptions to this, heterogeneous and
democratic nation-states are based on geographic identities rather
than ethnic ones. To impose the Turkish identity on those who do
not perceive themselves to be part of it is to deny our own cultural
richness. Moreover, this policy has political consequences. This kind
of assimilation-based national understanding generates reactions to
its unjust and oppressive nature. These reactions then become the
catalyst for the disintegration and decay of that same state.
Even if you insist that the term "Turk" describes citizenship rather
than including any ethnic connotation, nobody is convinced by this
explanation.
Therefore, we must go to the root of the problem to solve this "Turkish
issue." This includes redefining citizenship and finding a new term
for the citizens of Turkey. We need to find a more comprehensive
identity that goes beyond the Turkish one to define the citizens of
the Turkish Republic.
Al-Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2012/06/turkey-has-a-turkish-problem.html
June 21 2012
By:Hadi Uleungin posted on Thursday, Jun 21, 2012
After a long interval, we are again optimistic about the Kurdish
question. The introduction of Kurdish as an elective course into the
educational curriculum is a first step toward solving this issue. This
is a very important accomplishment, especially because for years
Turkey's official policy was based on a denial of the Kurdish state.
Indeed, this should be considered a major leap forward.
However, this is not enough.
Turkey does not have a Kurdish problem, or an Armenian one. Turkey has
a Turkish problem. The founding fathers of the republic established
Turkey's identity on a narrow and exclusive ethnic definition. What
I mean by the "Turkish problem" is the imposition of Turkishness on
other ethnic groups and the endeavor to assimilate them. This policy
is epitomized in one of Ataturk's sayings: "How happy is the one who
says 'I am a Turk!'"
We should admit that these assimilation policies failed to make
these groups forget or forsake their own identities. If we want to
overcome these issues, we need to redefine the basis of citizenship
in this country.
The French identity is an inclusive one that recognizes the different
ethnicities it encompasses, such as the Franks, Bretons, Occitanians
and the Flemish. The Spanish identity unifies Castilians with the
Catalans, Basques and Galicians. The Italian identity fuses the Latins,
Lombards and Sicilians.
Though there may be some exceptions to this, heterogeneous and
democratic nation-states are based on geographic identities rather
than ethnic ones. To impose the Turkish identity on those who do
not perceive themselves to be part of it is to deny our own cultural
richness. Moreover, this policy has political consequences. This kind
of assimilation-based national understanding generates reactions to
its unjust and oppressive nature. These reactions then become the
catalyst for the disintegration and decay of that same state.
Even if you insist that the term "Turk" describes citizenship rather
than including any ethnic connotation, nobody is convinced by this
explanation.
Therefore, we must go to the root of the problem to solve this "Turkish
issue." This includes redefining citizenship and finding a new term
for the citizens of Turkey. We need to find a more comprehensive
identity that goes beyond the Turkish one to define the citizens of
the Turkish Republic.