Minorities and Minority Rights in Turkey: From the Ottoman Empire to the Present State (Power and Human Rights)

The collapse of the multiethnic, multireligious, and multilingual Ottoman Empire after World War I led to the establishment of several nation-states, with enormous repercussions for the empire's minority populations. Baskın Oran focuses on religious and ethnic minorities in the Republic of Turkey―home for centuries to Alevites, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Syriacs, and more―to provide a comprehensive analysis encompassing the Ottoman era to the present. Minorities and Minority Rights in Turkey is a revised and updated version of Etnik ve Dinsel Azınlıklar: Tarih, Teori, Hukuk, Türkiye, published by Literatür in 2018. CONTENTS: Ethnic and Religious Minorities: A Conceptual Framework. Minorities in the Ottoman Empire. Minorities in the Republic of Turkey. Turkey's Obligations Under International Law. Minorities in Turkey's Laws and Legal Structures. Legislative Reforms, Resistance, and Reversals. The Ideological Foundations of Repression and Discrimination. The Implications of Persistent Rights Violations. Series page Title page Copyright page Dedication Contents Tables and Figures Preface Ch1- Ethnic and Religious Minorities: A Conceptual Framework KEY CONCEPTS The Definition of Minority and Related Concepts Empire, National State, Nation-State Minority Policies of the State: Recognition, Assimilation, and Cleansing STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK Notes Ch2- Minorities in the Ottoman Empire MINORITIES IN THE MILLET SYSTEM The Minority Issue in the Early Islam Period The Millet System THE PROTECTION OF MINORITIES IN EUROPE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE OTTOMANS The Protection of Christian Minorities in the Ottoman Empire The Protection of Muslim Minoritiesin the Former Ottoman Territories in the Balkans Notes Ch3- Minorities in the Republic of Turkey “OFFICIAL” MINORITIES IN TURKEY: NON-MUSLIMS The “Big Three” Armenians Jews Rums Figure 3.1 Number of Students in Rum Schools, 1920–2009 Non-Muslim Minorities Overlooked by the State Antiochian/Arab Greek Orthodox Christians Syriacs Other Non-Muslims OTHER MINORITIES IN TURKEY ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS Arabs Alevis Peoples from the Balkans and the Caucasus Kurds Roma People (Gypsies) Notes Ch4- Turkey’s Obligations Under International Law THE ERA OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS Examining the Concept of Minorities Introduced by the Lausanne Treaty Examining Minority Rights Introduced by the Lausanne Treaty The Lausanne Treaty as a Human Rights Document: Articles 39/4 and 39/5 Common Myths in Turkey About the Lausanne Treaty THE ERA OF THE UNITED NATIONS The UN Conventions and Turkey’s Reservations and Interpretations Regional Organizations and Turkey Notes Ch5- Minorities in Turkey’s Laws and Legal Structures THE LEGISLATIVE AND THE EXECUTIVE POWERS Nation, State, Language: Formulations in the Constitution and Laws The Problem of Defining the Citizen and the Turk Table 5.1 Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s Choice of Words Before and After the Republic THE JUDICIARY The Constitutional Court: Decisions to Close Kurdish Parties The 1936 Declaration and Its Implementation Notes Ch6- Legislative Reforms, Resistance, and Reversals RADICAL REFORMS REGARDING MINORITIES Constitutional Amendments The EU Harmonization Packages IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REFORMS UNTIL 2016 Practices Related to Non-Muslim Minorities Implementations Related to the Kurdish Issue CONDITIONS AFTER THE 2016 DECLARATION OF OHAL The Situation Pertaining to All Citizens The Situation Concerning the Kurds Notes Ch7- The Ideological Foundations of Repression and Discrimination THE MENTALITY REGARDING MINORITIES, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND DEMOCRACY Defining Citizenship, Nationality, Sub- and Supra-Identities The Ideology of the Turkish Nation-State: Nationalism and Turkish-Islamic Synthesis Figure 7.1 The Supra-Identity and Sub-Identities in the Ottoman Empire Figure 7.2 The Supra-Identity and Sub-Identities in the Republic of Turkey The AKP’s Ideology: Islamism and the Islamic-Turkish Synthesis HATE SPEECH, HATE CRIMES, AND DISCRIMINATION Hate Speech and Hate Crimes The Regulation of Hatred and Discrimination in Turkey’s Laws Turkey’s International Obligations Regarding Hate and Discrimination Incidents of Hate and Discrimination and Related Lawsuits in Turkey Notes Ch8- The Implications of Persistent Rights Violations THE BASIC APPROACH: “MINORITIES UPSET THE COHESION OF THE STATE AND OF THE NATION” Multiple and Layered Mechanisms Outcomes of the Basic Approach MODERNIZATION AND DEMOCRATIZATION IN TURKEY: THREE WAVES AND PROBLEMS Table 8.1 The Three Waves of Modernization in Turkey: A Comparative Summary A Double Contradiction—Entangled Kemalists and Islamists A Cacophony of Herodians and Zealots Notes Acronyms Bibliography Index About the Book Untitled An essential introductory read.... It is a valuable contribution to scholarship on minority rights in general and minorities in Turkey in particular. Dilek Kurban, Middle East Journal The collapse of the multiethnic, multireligious, and multilingual Ottoman Empire after World War I led to the establishment of several nation-states, with enormous repercussions for the empire's minority populations. Baskn Oran focuses on religious and ethnic minorities in the Republic of Turkeyhome for centuries to Alevites, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Syriacs, and moreto provide a comprehensive analysis encompassing the Ottoman era to the present. Minorities and Minority Rights in Turkey is a revised and updated version of Etnik ve Dinsel Aznl Tarih, Teori, Hukuk, Trkiye, published by Literatr in 2018. Focuses on religious and ethnic minorities in the Republic of Turkey - home for centuries to Alevites, Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, Syriacs, and more - to provide a comprehensive analysis encompassing the Ottoman era to the present.