Pan-Turkism

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Pan-Turkism is a political movement aiming to unite the various Turkic peoples into a modern political state, a movement closely related to Turanism.

Name

While the various Turkic peoples often share historical, cultural and linguistic roots, the rising of a pan-Turkic political movement is a phenomenon only of the 19th and 20th century and can be seen in parallel with European developments like Pan-Slavism and Pan-Germanism or with Middle-Eastern Pan-Arabism. Proponents use the latter most often as a point of comparison as the concept of "Turkic" is not a true racial or ethnic description but more of a linguistic and cultural distinction. This is to differentiate it from the term "Turkish" which is more of an ethnic/racial term for the citizens and denizens primarily residing in Turkey.

History

Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire with its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic population, influenced by emerging racial theories and the Turkish nationalism of the Young Turks, some tried to replace the lost empire with a new Turkish commonwealth.

One of the most significant early exponents of pan-Turkism was Enver Pasha, the Ottoman Minister of War and acting Commander-in-Chief during World War I. He later became one of the leaders of the Basmachi movement in Central Asia during the Russian Civil War, trying to create a united Turkestan.

While of little impact during much of the 20th century, the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century meant that the majority of the Turkic peoples were suddenly again able to travel and conduct business as partners in political alliances.

Turkey's role

Turkey has become a major business partner to many Central Asian Turkic states, helped with the reform of higher education, the introduction of the Latin alphabet, economic development and commerce. However, these efforts have met the expectations of neither the Turkic states nor the Pan-Turkist sentiment in Turkey. For example:

Housing projects of modest size promised to the Crimean Turks have not been completed after many years.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan never adopted the Latin alphabet, while the Turkmen and Uzbek alphabets are not compatible with the rest, mostly due to the lack or delay of the printing and teaching material promised by Turkey.
Abulfaz Elchibey, of Azerbaijan, whose presidency was toppled by a small group of soldiers after the Turkish government refused to intervene.

Origins of Turkic peoples

The political pan-Turkic movement is linked with parallel development of theories of the origin of Turkic peoples, with some linguistic theories about the Ural-Altaic languages and with some theories about ancient archeology, e.g. the origin of the Sumerians as being early Turks. The Kemalist movement in Turkey to "clean" the Turkish language from foreign (mostly Persian and Arabic) influence and particularly the Sun Language Theory, proposed by Kemal Atatürk himself, can all be seen as part of this same intellectual climate.

Criticism

Pan-Turkism is and has always been a movement viewed with suspicion by many, particularly by non-Turks. Some see it as nothing else but a new form of Turkish imperial ambition. Some see it as downright racist, particularly when considering the associated racial and historical teachings. Critics also believe that the concept of Pan-Turkism is flawed because of the distinct dialects among each different group of Turks. For instance, Turkish Cypriots have difficulty understanding the Turkish settlers from Turkey who come to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. "I have no idea what they are saying," a Turkish Cyproit woman told the BBC. "They are speaking Turkish, but it is not the same as ours." However, the governing nationalist party of the TRNC denies there is any difference between Turks and Turkish Cypriots. There is also concern over religious differences too. Although most Turks follow the Sunni sect of Islam, the Azeris of Azerbaijan are distinct in that they follow the more conservative Shi'a school. Some critics also claim that Pan-Turkists are at the fore front of major historical revisionism regarding Turkic history.

Critics also cite Pan-Turkism as a direct cause for the Armenian Genocide of 1915, in which Enver Pasha was involved. The movement has also been seen as the cause for the policy of "Turkification" which Turkey has attempted to impose on its ethnic minorities such as the Zazas and the Kurds. Until 1991, the Turkish government denied the existence of a separate Kurdish ethnic identity and statistically categorized them as "Mountain Turks".

Still, proponents see Pan-Turkism as a way of increasing regional security, economic growth and as a viable bulwark against Islamist movements, by furthering secular and democratic government in the region.

Quotations

"Dilde, fikirde, işte birlik" translated "Unity of Language, Thought and Action" by İsmail Gaspıralı, 1839 a Crimean Tatar and famous member of the Turanian Society

"Bu yürüyüş devam ediyor. Türk orduları ata ruhlarının dolaştığı Altay ve Tanrı Dağları eteklerinde geçit resmi yapıncaya kadar devam edecektir." translated "This march is going on. It will continue until the Turkic Armies' parade on the foothills of Altai and Tien-Shan mountains where the souls of their ancestors stroll." Hüseyin Nihâl Atsız, a famous Pan-Turkist.

External links

Encyclopaedia Britannica Entry on Pan-Turkism
Article on Pan-Turkism by Ildiko Beller Hann, German Turkologist

References

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