An assesment of the struggle of Balkan Turks in terms of social, psychological, cultural and political dimensions (The sample of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

In this research, existence and survival struggle of Turks living in Balkans are dealt with their social, cultural and political dimensions. Ottoman-Turk heritage is still existing in society, politics, culture, economy, military service implicitly in Balkans. Ottoman-Turk heritage in Balkans is still existing and being kept alive. The society living in Kosovo and Macedonia, using Turkish as their mother language andclaiming that they are Turks is the most concrete and vivid example of Turk heritage in Balkans. The term of identity has a wide area of usage from psychology to philosophy, social psychology, sociology and social and cultural anthropology. The studies done in the area of identity require an approach between disciplines. Because of this, studies of identity expanded through an area emphasizing not only individual forms of identity but also its collective forms in a conceptual frame whose roots are on sciences and approaches like psychology, sociology, anthropology, psychoanalysis. An identity has lines that differentiate its members from others’ while conjoining its members. Being Turk also effects mental processes. Being a Turk in Balkans is a type of identity encoded on religion, culture, history and politics. The identity of “Turk” was turned into a political material being drawn from the bottomless wells of history in due course. Due to this, Balkan Turks faced with so many dramatic situations like wars, genocides, assimilations, migrations, slaughters. For example, in 1992-1995 wars, Serbs’ perception of Bosnians as Turks and their thought that with the death of a Bosnian, one more Turk would reduced was a result of this perception. After Bosnia, places experienced crisis has been to Kosovo. The reasons of problems, Balkan Turks sometimes faced, were also perceptions of their identities. The reason for Bosnian genocide was perception and problem of identity even though they used the same language and their races were the same.