TransethnicSocialism · Transethnic Socialism : Minority Experiences of Socialist Activism in Modern Turkey

TransethnicSocialism explores the activities of minority socialists and their participation in the labor movements in Modern Turkey from 1923 to present-day. Despite the burgeoning literature on the socio-political history of the Republic of Turkey, a major lacuna is the participation of ethnic minorities in political processes. While the socialist and labor movements constitute a unique field to study this question due to the increased participation of non-ethnic Turks, it has hitherto escaped academic attention and study. To what extent have their ethnic backgrounds influenced their political choices? How have they been othered by the Turkish state, but also their ethno-religious communities due to their political choices? What markers of difference (e.g. gender, class, age, religion) other than their ethnic background intersected to shape their experience? Focusing on Jewish, Armenian and Greek socialists, the project breaks new ground in three ways: (a) it combines sources in the languages of these communities with Turkish ones, creating a unique dialogue of historical evidence reflecting the experience of these individuals; (b) it traces the overlap between the communal, the national, and the international in the political, social, and intellectual composition of their historical experience; and (c) it sheds light upon a little-known subject, namely the contribution of ethnic minorities to socialism in Turkey.