Assyrian/Syriac Oral History as a Counter-narrative of the Modern Turkish Historiography

Abstract

 This paper evaluates the oral history of the Assyrian/Syriac community in Turkey as a counter-narrative in the formation of statist historiography in the Republican era. It situates local oral histories within the larger archival and historical literature on the Assyrian/Syriac community. This paper emphasizes the importance of oral history studies in the process of making a new historiographic approach and understanding towards the past of diverse communities in Turkey. It stresses the importance of life stories, family histories, memoirs, architecture and other material cultural forms, oral traditions, and many other narrative forms of this people in making a more representative history. In taking this approach, this paper explains how oral history, as a critical methodology, reveals those neglected aspects in the written sources on modern history of Assyrian/Syriac community in Turkey.

Keywords

• Oral history,historiography,memory,identity,Assyrians/Syriacs,Turkey

Çağdaş Türk Tarihyazımında Muhalif Bir Anlatı Olarak Süryani / Asuri Sözlü Tarihi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de Süryani sözlü tarihini Cumhuriyet dönemi devletçi tarihyazımına karşı muhalif bir anlatı olarak değerlendirmektedir. Bu çalışma, sözlü ve yerel tarihleri Süryani toplumu üzerine yazılmış olan daha geniş arşivin ve tarihsel literatürün içine yerleştirmektedir. Bu makale, Türkiye’de farklı toplumların geçmişlerini anlama ve yeni bir tarihsel yaklaşım geliştirme sürecinde sözlü tarih çalışmalarının önemini vurgulamaktadır. Bu insanların hayat hikâyelerinin, aile tarihlerinin, hatıratlarının, mimari ve diğer maddi kültür formlarının, sözlü geleneklerinin ve diğer birçok anlatı formlarının önemine vurgu yapmaktadır. Bu çalışma, eleştirel bir yöntem olarak sözlü tarihin Türkiye’de modern Süryani tarihi üzerine yazılmış olan çalışmalarda ihmal edilmiş olan birçok yönü ortaya nasıl çıkardığına işaret etmektedir.

Keywords

• : Sözlü tarih,tarihyazımı,hafıza,kimlik,Süryaniler,Türkiye

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