turkishness

"Soon it will be a century since the Turks have been deeply divided over their soul searching. How, ideally, should the Turkish nation be? Less than a century ago, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had his own prescription, which included, among other things, the ideal attire – even headgear – and the ideal music for the Western-minded, secular Turk. In Atatürk’s nation-building project, there was hardly a comfortable space for both Muslim and non-Muslim non-Turks.

A century later, “the Turkish metabolism” rejected Atatürk’s prescription because it was too Western and not Muslim enough. In the early years of the 21st century, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the most powerful man since Atatürk, is trying to rebuild the nation. 

Atatürk was not even elected, Mr. Erdoğan should be thinking, so I, the democratically elected leader of the nation, should have a right to do as Atatürk did: nation-building along the lines which I deem are perfect for the well-being of Turks. Hence Mr. Erdoğan’s frequent prescriptions over matters which no other prime minister in saner parts of the world would prescribe: what kind of bread to eat, what kind of music and drinks to avoid, which schools to attend, which medical method to use to give birth and how many children to have.

Atatürk believed that the future would belong to positivist, secular, Western Turkish youth, whereas Mr. Erdoğan thinks the future belongs to devout Muslim Turkish youth. However, in both prescriptions, there are visible hints of nationalism and an unhidden commitment to “Turkish supremacy.” In Atatürk’s wording, “the Turk has all the strength he needs in his noble blood;” and in Mr. Erdoğan’s wording, “We are the grandchildren of the Seljuks, of the Ottomans.” 

Atatürk’s project was problematic. And so is Mr. Erdoğan’s project, albeit for different reasons."

(daqui)

identidade e poder.
posso estar enganada (e certamente estou), mas parece-me que Kemal e Pamuk se localizam, cada um, nesse movimento oposto: de aproximação ao ocidente e de distanciação. as memórias colectivas, curiosamente, são curtas de décadas mas são muito longas de séculos. um pouco como os velhos que esquecem onde puseram o açúcar mas lembram com todo o pormenor a cor da fita do cabelo da colega de escola. por outro lado, a memória mais longínqua é aquela que foi mitificada e que será, para sempre, o tão sonhado elodorado. nós somos os netos dos seljúcidas, diz Erdogan, um pouco como nós dizemos que dividimos o mundo em dois. quando existe a necessidade de evocar os egrégios avós, é porque alguma forma de humilhação se oculta em algum lugar.