About the lecture
The Muslim minority in Greece obtained its status by the Lausanne treaty in 1923. Its position in Greek society and relations with Turkey has since gone through several phases. When it obtained its status the socio-political framework was Ottoman. Soon the Turkish reforms (inkılâp) and Turkish nationalism started to influence the orientation of the minority.
After first insisting on its Muslim character a main goal of Turkish diplomacy was to impose a Turkish identity on the minority following developments in Turkey. The living conditions of the minority was further complicated by the vicissitudes of Greek-Turkish relations. Up until 1989 the main international framework was Greek-Turkish relations and the Cold War.
New emphasis on minority rights and democratisation after 1990 paved the way for a greater international interest in the fate of the minority. The conceptual difference in the approach of the various actors involved is striking, but maybe not so obvious for those who are unfamiliar with the historical and social framework.
The presentation aims to provide a deeper analysis of the various factors that influence the “name conflict” and their political implications.
About the Speaker
Vemund Aarbakke is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Sciences at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. His research is focused on the Balkans during the modern period with an emphasis on themes such as nationalism, irredentism, population movements, refugees, minorities and democratisation.
He holds a BA in Philosophy and a PhD in History from the University of Bergen and a BA and MA in Modern Greek and Balkan Studies from the University of Copenhagen. He has led the research project ‘Modernity Battling Tradition: The Introduction of Kemalism to the Muslim Minority of Western Thrace, 1920–1930’.
He is the author of Ethnic Rivalry and the Quest for Macedonia 1870–1913 (Boulder, CO, 2003), ‘Internationalisation of the Muslim Minority Issue’ (Südost-Forschungen, 71 [2012]) and ‘Pomak Language Usage and the Spell of Nationalism: The Case of the Pomaks in Greece’ (in R. Greenberg and M. Nomachi [eds], Slavia Islamica: Language, Religion and Identity [Sapporo, 2012]).
