Stages of Ethnic Belonging in the Western Canon: Etymological Rules of the Medieval Gens and Natio Concepts

Abstract

Several closely connected notions come to the fore when we examine the past of the form of political belonging that is now referred to as the ‘nation.’ The two most commonly used of these notions are ‘ethnos’, which was employed in ancient Greece to indicate communities residing in the same polis or, more generally, groups sharing the same piece of land, and ‘barbaros’, which refers to the unquestionable other who does not speak Greek. ‘Gens’ and ‘natio’ were the most significant of these divisions by the Middle Ages. These Latin terms, in particular, refer to groups of people who are linked by blood or birth. However, it is difficult to find a rational or hierarchical relationship between these two notions—which we can now translate as nation, in the medieval chronicles. Above all, it will be simpler to draw significant conclusions in modern identity discussions and nationalism literature by revealing the underlying assumptions of these two concepts, which prioritize "nation" as the legitimate category of political belonging in today's society. In order to investigate the possibility of creating a meaningful connection between the concepts of "gens" and "natio," which etymologically precede the concept of "nation," and to describe the various ways in which ethnic belonging was represented in the Middle Ages, this study will problematize this very issue. In this direction, the study will examine the existence of "centers of otherness," the extent to which these centers are discussed in the works of three very significant figures in medieval literature (Regino of Prum, Isidore of Seville, and Bede), and how the concepts of "gens" and "natio" have a certain otherness.

Keywords

• Gens
• Populus
• Barbarian
• Nation
• Ethnic Belonging

Batı Kanonunda Etnik Aidiyetin Merhaleleri: Orta Çağ’da Gens ve Natio Kavramlarının Etimolojik Açıdan Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Günümüzde 'ulus' olarak anılan siyasi aidiyet biçiminin geçmişini incelediğimizde, birbiriyle yakından bağlantılı görülen birkaç kavramın tercih edildiği görülür. Antik Yunan’da aynı site içerisinde yaşayan toplulukları ya da daha genel bir perspektifle aynı toprak parçasını paylaşan grupları ifade etmek için kullanılan ‘ethnos’ tabiri ve Yunanca konuşmayan, mutlak öteki anlamındaki ‘barbaros’ terimi bu kavramlardan en sık başvurulanıdır. Özellikle Orta Çağ'da bu konudaki literatürde, 'gens' ve 'natio' konseptleri fazlasıyla öne çıkar. Bu Latince terimler, kan veya doğum yoluyla birbirine bağlı insan gruplarını ifade etmek için çeşitli tarihçilerin başvurduğu öncelikli kavramlar görünümündedir. Öte yandan Orta Çağ kroniklerinde artık ‘ulus’ olarak tercüme edebileceğimiz bu iki kavram arasında rasyonel veya hiyerarşik bir ilişki kurmak oldukça zordur. Bugünkü meşru siyasal aidiyet kategorisi olarak ‘ulus’u önceleyen bu iki kavramın Orta Çağ metinlerindeki çalışma prensiplerini ya da hangi kapsamda kullanıldıklarını ortaya koymak, her şeyden önce çağdaş kimlik tartışmalarında ve milliyetçilik literatüründe önemli çıkarımlarda bulunmayı kolaylaştıracaktır. Bu çalışma, tam da bu konuyu sorunsallaştırarak etimolojik olarak ‘ulus’ kavramını önceleyen gens ve natio konseptlerinin tarihsel bağlamda kullanımlarını karşılaştırmayı, aralarında anlamlı bir ilişki kurmanın imkanını soruşturmayı ve etnik aidiyetin Orta Çağ’daki temsil biçimlerini detaylandırmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu doğrultuda çalışmada; her kimliğin bir öteki üzerinden anlam kazandığı prensibi üzerinden hareketle ‘ötekilik merkezleri’nin varlığı soruşturulacak ve Orta Çağ literatüründe oldukça önemli üç ismin (Prümlü Regino, Sevilyalı İsidore ve Bede) yapıtlarında bu merkezlerin hangi kapsamda ele alındığı, gens ve natio konseptlerinin belirli ötekilikleri ne şekilde ifade ettiği tartışması ele alınacaktır.

Keywords

• Gens
• Populus
• Barbar
• Ulus
• Etnik Kimlik
• Natio

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