Ottoman Immigrants and the Formation of Turkish Red Crescent Societies in the United States

Abstract

The role of the Turkish Red Crescent Society and its humanitarian work during World War I and the Turkish War of Independence by delivering healthcare and assistance to tens of thousands of wounded or sick soldiers is well known. However, the humanitarian work of Turkish Red Crescent societies abroad, established in various locations extending from South America to the Far East, still remains an understudied subject. This article aims at exploring the Ottoman diaspora mobilization and the humanitarian role of the Turkish Red Crescent societies in the United States in the postwar reconstruction of Turkey after WWI and the Turkish War of Independence. It argues that the Turkish War of Independence witnessed a tremendous transformation of humanitarian relief work by the Ottoman government and Ottoman diaspora in the U.S. The work of the Turkish Red Crescent Societies in WWI and its aftermath is an example of humanitarian policy in the making

Keywords

• Ottoman Empire, United States, immigrants, the Turkish Red Crescent, humanitarian relief, World War I, the Turkish War of National Independence.

References

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