Abstract
Lack of legal minority status according to the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) has put the Syriacs in a disadvantaged position. They have been banned from using their languages in schools and media, and from exercising their religious rights to the full extent. They have also suffered most from the violence in southeast Turkey between state security forces and Kurdish secessionist groups. Due to this conflict, many Syriacs moved to Istanbul or abroad. Since some returned, they struggle to reacquire their properties. Other remaining demands include recognition of legal status for historical and religious sites, return of properties belonging to churches and monasteries, recognition of Syriac clergymen, opening of Syriac schools, and acceptance of the usage of Syriac names.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Alaturka. (2014, July 21). Turabdin: Aramäer begrüßen die Ankündigungen Erdogans. Alaturka. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.alaturka.info/de/kultur/religion/726-tur-abdin-aramaeer-begruessen-die-ankuendigung-erdogans
Anschütz, H. (1989). Christliche Gruppen in der Türkei. In P. A. Andrews & R. Benninghaus (Eds.), Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Turkey. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
Andrews, P. A. (1989). Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Turkey. Wiesbaden: Reichert.
Benli, M. H. (2012, October 13). İzbırak’ıp giden Süryanilerin ‘işgal’ çığlığı. Radikal (online) Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/izbirakip-giden-suryanilerin-isgal-cigligi-1103847
BvdAD—Bundesverband der Aramäer in Deutschland. (2012, October 30). Türkisches Schulbuch bezeichnet Aramäer als Landesverräter. BvdAD. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.bvdad.de/index.php/pressemitteilungen/175-tuerkisches-schulbuch-bezeichnet-aramaeer-als-landesverraeter
Çevik, İ. (2013). Bülent Arınç, azınlıklardan özür dileyip ‘dönün çağrısı’ yaptı. Zaman, 6(3). http://www.zaman.com.tr/politika_bulent-arinc-azinliklardan-ozur-dileyip-donun-cagrisi-yapti_2061591.html
Erman, T., & Göker, E. (2000). Alevi politics in contemporary Turkey. Middle Eastern Studies, 36(4), 99–118.
ESU—European Syriac Union. (2014, May 28). ESU presented its annual report entitled ‘The situation of the Syriacs in Turkey—2014’ to European Commission Enlargement authorities. ESU. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.syriacsnews.com/european-syriac-union-esu-presented-annual-report-eu-commission/
Giesel, C. (2013). Facetten von Multiethnizität und Multireligiosität in der Türkei: Historische Entwicklungslinien und aktuelle Bedingungen im Rahmen politisch-gesellschaftlicher Transformationen. In O. Leisse (Ed.), Die Türkei im Wandel – Innen-und außenpolitische Dynamiken. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
Giesel, C. (2014b). Status and situation of the Jews in Turkey: Historical lines of development and contemporary circumstances in the context of socio-political transformations. Elektronik Siyaset Bilimi Araştırmaları Dergisi/Electronic Journal of Political Science Studies, 5(2), 1–32.
Giesel, C. (2015b). Status and Situation of the Jews in Turkey: Historical Lines of Development and Contemporary Circumstances in the Context of Socio-political Transformations. In R. N. Bali & L.-O. Mallet (Eds.), Turkish Jews in Contemporary Turkey (2nd ed., pp. 23–81). Istanbul: Libra.
Giesel, C. (2016b). Erosion des ethnopolitischen Homogenisierungsdogmas sowie offene Entfaltungsmöglichkeiten ethnischer Gruppen im Rahmen politisch-gesellschaftlicher Liberalisierungsansatze in der Turkei im 20. Jh. (Teil 2: 1980–1999). Elektronik Siyaset Bilimi Araştırmaları Dergisi/Electronic Journal of Political Science Studies, 7(2), 1–52. Retrieved August 1, 2016, from http://www.esbadergisi.com/images/sayi13/christoph_giesel_esba_2_teil_2016.pdf
Giesel, C. (2016c). The erosion of the kemalist dogma of ethno-political homogeneity in the context of partial socio-political liberalisation processes in Turkey in the second half of the 20th century. In A. Freyberg-Inan et al. (Eds.), Growing together, growing apart: Turkey and the European Union today (pp. 73–99). Baden-Baden: Nomos.
Güsten, S. (2012, March 16). Der Nahe Osten ist furchtbar für Christen: Syrische Christen fliehen vor dem Krieg in die Türkei. Deutschlandfunk (online). Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/einewelt/2043483/
Güsten, S. (2013). Verfolgung: Bitte bleibt hier! Christundwelt (online), 10. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.christundwelt.de/themen/detail/artikel/bitte-bleibt-hier/
Hosfeld, R. (2015). Tod in der Wüste: Der Völkermord an den Armeniern. München: Beck.
Hürriyet. (2000, October 4). Iç̇ imizdeki hain. Hürriyet (online). Retrieved July, 20, 2016, from http://arama.hurriyet.com.tr/arsivnews.aspx?id=-186566
Jacob, S. (2011, May 4). Kafro—Rückkehrer von kurdischem Hirten angeschossen—Interview mit der Familie 1.9.2010. nordirak-turabdin.info. www.nordirak-turabdin.info/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=539&Itemid=1. Accessed 20 Jul 2016.
Jahrbuch Türkei 2011. (2012). Mai 2011: Gendarmerie lässt Täter nach Mordanschlag auf Assyrer laufen. In A. Künnecke & W. Gieler (Eds.), Jahrbuch Türkei 2011. Bonn: Scientia Bonnensis.
Khosoreva, A. (2007). The Assyrian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and Adjacent Territories. In R. G. Hovannisian (Ed.), The Armenian Genocide: Cultural and Ethical Legacies. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.
Koutcharian, G. (1989). Der Siedlungsraum der Armenier unter dem Einfluss der historisch-politischen Ereignisse seit dem Berliner Kongress 1878 Eine politisch-geographische Analyse und Dokumentation. Berlin: Reimer.
Rummel, R. J. (1996). Death by Government. Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900. New Brunswick: Transaction Publication.
Rumpf, C. (1993). Minderheiten in der Türkei und die Frage nach ihrem rechtlichen Schutz. Zeitschrift für Türkeistudien, 2, 173–209.
Schwaigert, W. (2002). Zur Situation der Christen in der Türkei. In M. Tamcke (Ed.), Daheim und in der Fremde. Beiträge zur jüngeren Geschichte und Gegenwartslage der orientalischen Christen. Hamburg: LIT.
Sonyel, S. (2001). The Assyrians of Turkey. Victims of Major Power Policy. Ankara: Turkish Historical Society Printing House.
Stieger, C. (2009, December 15). Gefährdete Identität der Aramäer im Tur Abdin: Die syrisch-orthodoxe Minderheit im Südosten der Türkei kämpft um die Erhaltung ihrer Sprache. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (online). www.nzz.ch/aktuell/startseite/gefaehrdete-identitaet-der-aramaeer-im-tur-abdin-1.4196339. Accessed 20 Jul 2016.
Suryoye Augsburg. (2010). Kurden bedrohen Aramäer im Tur Abdin. Retrieved 1, 2015, from http://www.suryoye-augsburg.de/index.php?type=review&area=1&p=articles&id=43
The World War I Dokument Archive. (2014). The Treaty of Sèvres 1920. Section III (Kurdistan)—Article 62. www.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Section_I,_Articles_1_-_260. Accessed 20 Sept 2014.
Travis, H. (2010). Genocide in the Middle East: The Ottoman Empire, Iraq, and Sudan. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Villelabeitia, I. (2009, January 21). Christian monastery in Turkey fights to keep land. Reuters (online). www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-turkey-christians-idUSTRE50L08720090122. Accessed 1 Aug 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bardakci, M., Freyberg-Inan, A., Giesel, C., Leisse, O. (2017). Like a Drop in the Ocean: The Last Syriacs in Turkey in a Maelstrom of Nationalism, Islamism, Assimilation, and Diverging Socio-political Interests. In: Religious Minorities in Turkey. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-27026-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-27026-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-27025-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-27026-9
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)