Book about Armenians in Turkey published in Ankara

PanARMENIAN.Net - A new book released Friday by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) focuses on the Armenians of Turkey and explains various issues, from their historical roots in Anatolia to the meaning of being an Armenian in Turkey today.



The 600-page "Armenians in Turkey - Congregation, Individual, Citizen" also explores the depths of Armenians' relations with the state.



TESEV's democratization program director, editor-in-chief of Akos newspaper Etyen Mahcupyan, said the state policy has long been to ignore the Armenian community in Turkey and that therefore there is a need to educate the people who do not really know much about this community.



The book's four authors, Gunay Goksu Ozdogan, Fusun Ustel, Karin Karakasli and Ferhat Kentel, said they wanted to go beyond prejudices against Armenians or overprotecting Armenians. They said that they aimed at prompting a "rediscovery" process in the Turkish public in order to better know those who shared mutual values for centuries in the same land.



Ustel said that in 2000, when they started the book project, there had been more reactions in the community against Armenians but that society has been opened up since then with the help of the democratization process together with Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union.



One perspective that the authors adopted to dissect the Armenian community in Turkey was to look at how Armenians position themselves in society as members of a congregation or religious community. The authors also studied how prejudices against Armenians are fed. In addition to historical background about Armenians in Anatolia, the authors also focused on their social lives, including their associations, marriages, publications and involvement in sports and the arts.



The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 40 well-known members of the Armenian community in Turkey. They also had 12 focus groups, comprising six to eight people each. Additionally, 258 Armenians were sent a questionnaire. To understand the religious rituals of the Armenians, the researchers observed the community in Antakya's Vakifli village, Today's Zaman reported.