Which Armenianness? The Armenian youth of Turkey and their sense of identity and belonging

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2578324 _(Table of contents)

The purpose of this thesis is to explore what it means to be a young Armenian in Turkey. In order to surface the experiences of young Armenians, it examines the impact of a wide range of tools and methods on the process of “becoming” an Armenian utilized by the Turkish government, Turkish society, and the Armenian community. This study claims that the way that Armenianness is perceived and performed by Armenians of Turkey is changing and young Armenians are the bearers of this transformation as they become more comfortable to publicly affirm their Armenian heritage and more integrated into Turkish society. They did not only become aware of their Armenianness but also want to be noticed by the Turkish society. The most significant event that defined as ‘milestone’ or ‘breaking point’ by several interviewees and had far-reaching effects such as the revival of the transgenerational memory and created a rupture in the lives of young Armenians is the assassination of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Interviews revealed that young Armenians are increasingly prefer to emphases the cultural aspects of the Armenian culture instead of the 1915 and the ensuing events. It should be underlined that the goal of young Armenians is not to minimize the importance of 1915, but to adapt to the realities of living in Turkey and the desire to create an alternative future. In other words, rather of focusing on a topic which the Turkish state and society prevent them from acting, young Armenians are attempting to forge an alternative Armenianness by emphasizing other components of the Armenian culture.