Vocabularies of (In)Visibilities: (Re)Making the Afro-Turk Identity
After the abolition of slavery towards the end of the Ottoman Empire, the majority of freed black slaves who remained in Anatolia were taken to state “guesthouses” in a number of cities throughout the Empire, the most important of which was in Izmir. Despite their longstanding presence, the descenda...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ledizioni
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Antropologia |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ledijournals.com/ojs/index.php/antropologia/article/view/1624 |
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| Summary: | After the abolition of slavery towards the end of the Ottoman Empire, the majority of freed black slaves who remained in Anatolia were taken to state “guesthouses” in a number of cities throughout the Empire, the most important of which was in Izmir. Despite their longstanding presence, the descendants of these black slaves – today, citizens of the Republic of Turkey – have until recently remained invisible both in the official historiography and in academic scholarship of history and social science. It is only since the establishment of the Association of Afro-Turks in 2006 that the black population has gained public and media attention and a public discussion has finally begun on the legacies of slavery in Turkey. Drawing on in-depth interviews with members of the Afro-Turk community (2014-2016), I examine the key role of the foundation of the Afro-Turk Association in reshaping the ways in which they think of themselves, their shared identity and history. |
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| ISSN: | 2281-4043 2420-8469 |