Pontos Kültürü
Encyclopedia
Pontos Kültürü 'Pontos Culture' is a 1996 book by Turkish
author Ömer Asan
about the Greek Muslims
of Trabzon Province
.
Pontos Kültürü documents Asan's ethnographic
fieldwork in his native village Çoruk (Τσορούκ, official name "Erenköy") in Of district. It contains a rich collection of oral traditions, local legends (such as Ancomah), and documentation of elements of material culture in Çoruk and its vicinity. The book is also a study of Pontic
in its Of dialect. As the author asserts in its foreword, "the book does not reach the Pontos Culture but approaches it." In its entirety, the book is also a polemical text against the mainstream nationalist currents of folklore
and historiography
that are dominant in Turkey.
In January 2002, following a programme televised on the Turkish TV ATV
, the book became the centre of controversy. Asan, accused for treason by nationalistic circles, was threatened by supporters of MHP
. The book was banned the same month due to a verdict by the State Security Court in Istanbul
.http://dosyalar.hurriyet.com.tr/almanak2002/news_detail.asp?nid=59&sid=16 Asan was charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Law by "propagandating separatism" http://www.savaskarsitlari.org/arsiv.asp?ArsivTipID=5&ArsivAnaID=8272&SayfaNo=1. The author, the book, and the publisher were eventually acquitted in 2003.http://web.archive.org/web/20041114200231/http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/bulletins/acquittalforomerasan/
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
author Ömer Asan
Ömer Asan
Ömer Şükrü Asan , is a Turkish folklorist, photographer and writer.In 2002, he was charged with allegations that he violated Article 8 of Turkey's Anti-Terror Law by "propagandating separatism" for his book Pontos Kültürü...
about the Greek Muslims
Greek Muslims
Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin, nowadays found mainly in Turkey, although migrations to Lebanon and Syria have been reported. Historically, Greek Orthodoxy has been associated with being Romios, i.e...
of Trabzon Province
Trabzon Province
Trabzon Province is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the southwest, Bayburt to the southeast and Rize to the east. The...
.
Pontos Kültürü documents Asan's ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
fieldwork in his native village Çoruk (Τσορούκ, official name "Erenköy") in Of district. It contains a rich collection of oral traditions, local legends (such as Ancomah), and documentation of elements of material culture in Çoruk and its vicinity. The book is also a study of Pontic
Pontic language
Pontic Greek is a form of the Greek language originally spoken in the Pontus area on the southern shores of the Black Sea, northeastern Anatolia, Eastern Turkish/Caucasus province of Kars, southern Georgia, and today mainly in northern Greece...
in its Of dialect. As the author asserts in its foreword, "the book does not reach the Pontos Culture but approaches it." In its entirety, the book is also a polemical text against the mainstream nationalist currents of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
that are dominant in Turkey.
In January 2002, following a programme televised on the Turkish TV ATV
ATV Turkey
atv is a nationwide TV channel in Turkey, founded in 1993. atv is one of the most widely watched TV channels in Turkey. atv is an acronym of Actual Television.Since 2007 atv is owned by Çalık Holding.- Shows :News Programming* atv Ana Haber...
, the book became the centre of controversy. Asan, accused for treason by nationalistic circles, was threatened by supporters of MHP
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
. The book was banned the same month due to a verdict by the State Security Court in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.http://dosyalar.hurriyet.com.tr/almanak2002/news_detail.asp?nid=59&sid=16 Asan was charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Law by "propagandating separatism" http://www.savaskarsitlari.org/arsiv.asp?ArsivTipID=5&ArsivAnaID=8272&SayfaNo=1. The author, the book, and the publisher were eventually acquitted in 2003.http://web.archive.org/web/20041114200231/http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/bulletins/acquittalforomerasan/
External links
- Ömer Asan, a writer before the Courts International PENInternational PENPEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
notice on Asan's trial - The Pontian muslims at the target of Turkey Article about the book, controversy, and its impacts, by Nikos Doukas