Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World

Turks, along with other people of the Middle East, retain a claim to being “Caucasian”. Technically white, Turks do not fit neatly into Western racial categories especially after 9/11, and with the increasing normalization of racist discourses in Western politics, their assumed religious and geogra...

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Main Author: Ilgin Yorukoglu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Milano University Press 2017-07-01
Series:Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs-unimi-test.4science.cloud/index.php/glocalism/article/view/21183
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author Ilgin Yorukoglu
author_facet Ilgin Yorukoglu
author_sort Ilgin Yorukoglu
collection DOAJ
description Turks, along with other people of the Middle East, retain a claim to being “Caucasian”. Technically white, Turks do not fit neatly into Western racial categories especially after 9/11, and with the increasing normalization of racist discourses in Western politics, their assumed religious and geographical identities categorise “secular” Turks along with their Muslim “others” and, crucially, suggest a “non-white” status. In this context, for Turks who explicitly refuse to be presented along with “Islamists”, “whiteness” becomes an act of belonging to “the West” (instead of the East, to “the civilised world” instead of the world of terrorism). The White Turks phenomenon does not only reveal the fluidity of racial categories, it also helps question the meaning of resistance and racial identification “from below”. In dealing with their insecurities with their place in the world, White Turks fall short of leading towards a radical democratic politics.
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spelling doaj-art-ee85c9ca4ac54020bf069056b6fa58f32025-08-20T03:06:28ZengMilano University PressGlocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation2283-79492017-07-012Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 WorldIlgin Yorukoglu 0City University of New York Turks, along with other people of the Middle East, retain a claim to being “Caucasian”. Technically white, Turks do not fit neatly into Western racial categories especially after 9/11, and with the increasing normalization of racist discourses in Western politics, their assumed religious and geographical identities categorise “secular” Turks along with their Muslim “others” and, crucially, suggest a “non-white” status. In this context, for Turks who explicitly refuse to be presented along with “Islamists”, “whiteness” becomes an act of belonging to “the West” (instead of the East, to “the civilised world” instead of the world of terrorism). The White Turks phenomenon does not only reveal the fluidity of racial categories, it also helps question the meaning of resistance and racial identification “from below”. In dealing with their insecurities with their place in the world, White Turks fall short of leading towards a radical democratic politics. https://ojs-unimi-test.4science.cloud/index.php/glocalism/article/view/21183WhitenessWhite TurksRaceTurkish CulturePost 9/11
spellingShingle Ilgin Yorukoglu
Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation
Whiteness
White Turks
Race
Turkish Culture
Post 9/11
title Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
title_full Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
title_fullStr Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
title_full_unstemmed Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
title_short Whiteness as an Act of Belonging: White Turks Phenomenon in the post 9/11 World
title_sort whiteness as an act of belonging white turks phenomenon in the post 9 11 world
topic Whiteness
White Turks
Race
Turkish Culture
Post 9/11
url https://ojs-unimi-test.4science.cloud/index.php/glocalism/article/view/21183
work_keys_str_mv AT ilginyorukoglu whitenessasanactofbelongingwhiteturksphenomenoninthepost911world