Unbearable Lightness of Undefined Diaspora: The Meaning of Turkish Descendants

Abstract

The concept of Turkish diaspora, which is frequently being used in political, bureaucratic and academic life in Turkey, is getting more attention in its foreign policy. However, despite the growing interest in this issue, the debate about what Turkish diaspora means is still unresolved and in particular, who are its subjects remains unclear. Such an ambiguous use of the term Turkish diaspora manifests itself most clearly in the concept of fellow descendants. Fellow descendants, an important and problematic subject of the Turkish diaspora, goes beyond the concept of “Turk” outlined in the Constitution of Turkey, for it has been included in a legal and political framework based on ethnicity. As in the case of fellow descendant, of utmost importance is academic research on social structures that can be considered as the subject of Turkish diaspora.