The Cry of the Lost Homeland: The Idea of Turkism in Yılmaz Gürbüz's Novel of Balkan Acısı

Abstract

With the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877–1878, also known as the 93 War, the Ottoman Empire began to lose its power in the Balkans and subsequently to lose territory. Then, with the Tripoli and Balkan Wars, Rumelia was almost completely lost, and the Balkan nations declared their independence. During the Balkan Wars, the Turks, so to speak, experienced national debacle and depression, and were exposed to intense oppression and persecution. These negativities left deep wounds in the memory of the Turkish nation and caused trauma. The suffering in question has also been the subject of many literary works. One of these works is the novel of Balkan Acısı (Balkan Misery). In the novel, the depression caused by the painful loss of the Balkans, the traces of the debacle and the persecutions which were suffered have clearly found their place. However, the ideas of Ottomanism, Islamism, Turkism - especially Turkism - that emerged alongside modernization in order to save the Ottoman Empire from its situation and return it to its old days, were reflected in the novel. In the novel of Balkan Acısı, a way similar to the course of these currents of thought in the Ottoman Empire was followed, and it was emphasized that Turkism was the only solution when Ottomanism and Islamism failed. In this study, the above-mentioned issues are discussed and reflections on Turkism, which constitutes the thought ground of the novel, are revealed.