Turkey as a Builder of Europe: Perspectives From Memory and Identity

    • IMG_1737
    • Presentation speakers
      • Erhan Akdemir, Department of International Relations, Anadolu University, Turkey

    Abstract:

    Collective memory does not come into being spontaneously. It is cretaed and mainteined by collective institutions and thenaction of each and everyone. Europe, seen as s political project designed to transcend nations, faces the challenge already encountered in the past when the nations were being built. And also, collective memories mould social gruops, genereations and nations and constitute identity. Such memories can refer to real events but also to myths.In this context when you look at the Europe’s borders you can see that it is identified sometimes historically, sometimes religious and sometimes geographically. Hence, make the discussion about the European culture and identity it means that also draw cultural boundaries of Europe and Europeanness at the same time. The presence of such a boundary also it is going to bring about the concepts of ‘Inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ and ‘we’ and ‘others’ necessarily. In this regard every definition of the European culture and identity or each drawing cultural boundaries of Europe and Europeanness included some places, nations and peoples in the concept of Europe and Europeanness while the others are pushed out of these concepts. Here in this framework, this paper focus on that how much affected Turkey’s cultural and religious differences in front of him for accepting the EU as a member state. This paper also analyses the likely cultural impacts of Turkish membership for the Union itself. It asks whether Turkish accession can be managed in a similar way to that of other enlargements or whether critics are right that Turkey is different, ‘other’, dangerous threat and insufficiently ‘European’ to join the Union. And also this paper defend that some efforts such as strengthening of intercultural dialogue and concept of unity in diversity will help us to find the common cultural heritage which is totally covered memories.

 

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