I Have No Country, I Have My Country

"Being from Istanbul is considered a privilege among the Greeks and the Greeks. Because this is Şehr-i Âli, you come from a community with very old traditions. After all, you are somehow surrounded by all the works that this community created both in recent history and in the old Middle Ages." You feel connected, because you have passed through those churches, you have lived through those places, you have memories. (...) Istanbul is a beautiful place, beyond history and philosophy, it is also a beautiful city today (...) "It is a center of attraction that continues to be beautiful even though things have changed. Therefore, this is something to be proud of..." They cannot feel comfortable in Greece, where they immigrate or visit, and are found strange by the Greeks. Here in Istanbul, when they speak Greek, their elders warn them, "Shut up, keep quiet, they will hear it," and they try not to stand out. The sadness of being considered a "foreigner" in the city where they have lived for generations... The sadness of being "neither from here nor there"... The book in your hands opens a window to the world of perception and emotion of Greeks, who are primarily and essentially from Istanbul. It tells and makes people explain the place of Istanbul, of being from Istanbul, in the construction of the Greek-Orthodox identity, and the reproduction of this identity in space, myths, rituals and memory. Of course, this is the story of the erosion of this identity, especially with the 6/7 September atrocities, exiles, and the harassment of nationalism. It is a story in which we can trace the change of Istanbul and the identity of Istanbulites. Nurdan Türker exemplifies a lively and analytical perspective, without letting identity and story fall into the trap of nostalgia.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 373

Year of Printing: 2015


Language: Turkish
Publisher: İletişim Publishing

First Print Year: 2015

Language Turkish