Tormented by History
Nationalism in Greece and Turkey
Columbia University Press
Published on 1. March 2008
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-231-70052-8 (ISBN)
Description
"Tormented by History" traces the emergence and development of the Greek and Turkish nationalist projects over the past two hundred years. Grounded in an extensive critical review of the historiography and literature on Greek and Turkish nationalisms, this volume challenges the common belief that the rise of a "Greek" and a "Turkish" nation was inevitable.Umut Ozkirimli, a Turk, and Spyros A. Sofos, a Greek, acknowledge the complexity of the relationship between the two nationalisms and examine issues concerning the politics of language, religion, memory, history, territory, and landscape. They address the complex processes of homogenization, marginalization, and minoritization of populations and cultures as well as institutional support of Greek and Turkish nationalism. They also discuss the place of "constitutive violence," both physical and symbolic, in the nationalist imagination, and the ensuing trauma and sense of loss that came out of the consolidation of Greek and Turkish identities.
Reviews / Votes
This is a most impressive text, drawing together, and in a very fluent and integrated way, the histories and debates on nationalism in Greece and Turkey. I have never seen a comparative study of this kind, let alone one that draws on material in both languages to great effect. It is also a remarkable example, too rare in this world, of collaboration by intellectuals from two rival states and also, given the sensibilities involved, a most courageous and valiant intervention. -- Fred Halliday, London School of Economics, and author of The Middle East in International Relations: Power, Politics, and Ideology An important, well-constructed and highly readable book that should matter to anyone interested in Greece or Turkey. -- K. E. Fleming Journal of Modern History 12/1/09More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Weight
0 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-231-70052-8 (9780231700528)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Umut Ozkirimli is associate professor of politics and the director of the Center for Turkish-Greek Studies at Istanbul Bilgi University. His previous publications include Theories of Nationalism: A Critical Introduction and Contemporary Debates on Nationalism: A Critical Engagement.Spyros A. Sofos is senior research fellow in European and international studies at the European Research Centre, Kingston University, London. He is the coauthor of Nation and Identity in Contemporary Europe and Islam in Europe: Public Spaces and Networks.