Tag Archives: Ottoman Empire

Random Comments on the Turkish Language

My native language is Turkish. I grew up in northern Turkey. I started learning English in high school but it was already too late. The language processing part of my brain was already formed according to Turkish syntax. In 1981 … Continue reading

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Salonika, you are on my mind

My paternal grandparents were forced to immigrate to Turkey from a village near Salonika. This happened in 1923 as part of the “mübadele”  (population exchange between Greece and Turkey). They were traumatized by this experience all their lives. When they … Continue reading

Posted in society, history | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spiritual Undercurrents of Anatolia

Turkish (Anatolian) society is going through a tumultuous transformation. On the surface, it seems as though the society is becoming more dogmatic. Sunni Islam is taking over all state institutions. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Mustafa … Continue reading

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