TİMUÇİN BİNDER'İN NOTLARI

Türkçesi için Yakın ama uzak, benzer ama farklı Anadolu geçmişleri It is possible to approach the past of Anatolia from various directions. As I mentioned it in my previous blog-post, we should try to think in terms of a freedom that enables us to choose from among different pasts; and in fact, in this period when all kinds of nationalisms are spreading again and at least as strong as the previous ones, this seems to be an important potential freedom or right to be placed under legal protection.  First of all, the ambiguity surrounding the term Anatolia (in fact, this is rather a choice or preference in itself) imposes the obligation to make a choice right from the very beginning. But, even if one thinks that there is no ambiguity, the past itself, because it can be traced back through more than one line, pathway, leads one to more than one approach regarding how and from where to start; therefore, because of the discontinuities between regions, it is not easy to study the o...

Can we see nationalism as a form of adaptation and even a useful adaptation? It is obviously not a rare commodity. Although radical and dangerous forms of nationalisms are rare, nationalism in general is very widespread. We introduce ourselves to others by giving the name of our ethnicity. It is a way to recognizing those who are like us. Perhaps this is the key to understanding why it is so widespread. Could it be because other forms of recognition are not used anymore? We could dress in a certain way, but there could be others out there who pick the same kind of dressing and therefore this may not be very dependable method of finding people like us. But nationalism is a bit different from this. It is not only about recognizing, but belonging as well. It is no wonder that people are getting more nationalist nowadays. The process of globalization is pushing people away from power and control, and the process of homogenization caused by the consumerist modernization forcing people ...