A case in diaspora nationalism : Crimean Tatars in Turkey
Author
Aydın, Filiz Tutku
Advisor
İçduygu, Ahmet
Date
2000Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
"Diaspora", an old phenomenon, signifying dispersed people outside their
homeland, who sustain their ties with their homeland and their co-ethnics, highly
mobilized in politics in recent years, certainly in a new form. This thesis suggests the
term “diaspora nationalism” for this unique phenomenon. As “diaspora nationalism” is
based on the triadic relationship of homeland, host-state and diaspora community, it
differentiates from mainstream nationalisms. While challenging the dominant
conceptualizations of nationalism, in fact diaspora nationalism reconstructs nation and
ethnicity in a global framework. Therefore it necessitates a new conceptual tool for fully
appreciating its features. "Transnationalism", which is a new term to denote the relations
across the borders, provides us with the adequate conceptual tool. The rising diaspora
nationalism of the Crimean Tatars in recent years can only be fully apprehended in the
light of this conceptual framework. With this conceptualization of diaspora nationalism,
this study specifies, periodises, and tries to analyse the diaspora nationalism of the
Crimean Tatars in Turkey, by also suggesting the case for further theoretical and
historical inquiry. Having transnational and hybrid features, Crimean Tatar diaspora
nationalism faces with different problems and find different solutions, which in the end
contribute to the “new politics” in the global era.