2011/06/01 by Zerrin Özlem Biner · 5 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Turkey's Politics and Society #Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics #Political Conflict and Governance
paper · doi:10.1080/13621025.2011.564789
openalex publication_date 2011/06/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
This article examines how the struggle for the recognition of genocide in the twentieth century opens up a political space which, on the one hand, generates historical discourses and imaginaries about the categories of victim and perpetrator and, on the other hand, redefines relationships between the state and its minority citizens. Genocide becomes a ‘critical event’, in the sense of Veena Das, that citizens from different ethnic, social and religious backgrounds use to express their positions concerning the repressive state practices they have been victims of. This expression creates a collective space of solidarity where parties support each other by adopting similar strategies in the struggle for state accountability. At the same time, it opens up a space for negotiation among the state, minority citizens and migrant communities regarding claims to rights and justice.