Dissertation Research: The Significance of History and Social Memory in the Construction of Ethnic Identity in North Cyprus

该项目支持一个文化的论文研究 人类学家研究土耳其民族身份的性质， 北塞浦路斯。 两个相互竞争的选择，“纯土耳其” 和“塞浦路斯人”争夺人民的效忠。 该项目将调查每种立场的追随者 重新定义塞浦路斯独立以来的关键历史时期 （1960年）将该岛分为两个独立的民族 1974年，为实现自己的政治目标。 方法 包括对公文档案的审查 深度访谈和参与式观察。 这项研究很重要，因为种族认同和 现代社会的一个日益显著的特征似乎是 世界 了解相似群体如何以及为什么定义 他们自己的不同可以帮助政策制定者科普 造成的对立。

This project supports the dissertation research of a cultural anthropologist studying the nature of Turkish ethnic identity in North Cyprus. Two competing alternatives, the "purely Turkish" and the "Cypriot" compete for the allegiance of the population. The project will investigate how adherents of each position redefine the critical period of history from Cypriot independence (1960) to the division of the island into two separate ethnic communities (1974) to support their political goals. Methods include the examination of archives of official documents as well as in-depth interviews and participant observation. This research is important because ethnic identity and contestation seems to be an increasing feature of the modern world. Understanding how, and why similar groups define themselves as different can help policy makers cope with the resulting antagonisms.