Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of International Relations A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PERCEPTIONS OF ARMENIANS IN TURKEY AND ARMENIA REGARDING 1915 MEDZ YEGHERN Diana YAYLOYAN Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2015 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PERCEPTIONS OF ARMENIANS IN TURKEY AND ARMENIA REGARDING 1915 MEDZ YEGHERN Diana YAYLOYAN Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of International Relations Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2015 BİLDİRİM I warrant that this thesis and its abstract are my original work, do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights of my thesis and its abstract. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis in future works (such as articles, or books). I hereby grant to Hacettepe University Graduate School for Social Sciences the non- exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute by mean of electronic network my thesis, in whole or in part, in print and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this statement under following conditions: The entire work can be released immediately for worldwide access. The entire work can be released for the University of Hacettepe access only. Secure the entire work for patent and/or proprietary purposes for a period of one year. At the end of this secure period, unless I request another extension, the entire work can be released for worldwide access. 10.07.2015. Diana YAYLOYAN iii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of Medz Yeghern and to the memory of my great grandparents Sirvard and Khachik Aslanians from Van, survivors of 1915 events. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express gratitude to my thesis advisor, Havva Kök Arslan, who untiringly guiding me throughout my work on the thesis. Her constructive critiques and great academic experience helped me to find the desirable shape for this study. I would like to thank the members of commission - Aylin Özman, Bican Şahin, Müge Kınacioğlu, and Işık Kuşçu for their insightful comments and amendments to my thesis. I would like to mention the precious contributions of various experts, scholars, researchers for giving important comments and remarks during my work on the thesis: Raffi Bedrosian, K.M. Greg Sarkissian, George Shirinian, Vahram Ter-Matevosian, Artak Shakaryan, Emin Sanamyan, Mahmut Arslan, Ihsan Dağı, Noyan Soyak, Füat Dündar, Nezir Akyeşilmen and Sayat Tekir. I would like to thank Nicolas Tavitian, Levent Şensever and Heghnar Watenpaugh for the important and unforgettable experience, which I had during my participation with the delegation in the commemorations of 1915 Medz Yeghern in Istanbul in 2014 and 2015. Special appreciation for providing a help regarding the Cultural trauma theory, which I used in the theoretical framework of the thesis, to Professor Ronald Eyerman, who despite the busy schedule found time to reply to my mails, what was a very precious contribution to the study. This thesis would not be possible without the help of my dear Armenian friends Selim Akdaş and Irfan Gez, who assisted me in recruiting the required number of Turkish Armenian rerspondents in a very short time, and Batuhan Durmuş, whose intellectual involvement and strong support in common desire to contribute to the Armenian- Turkish reconciliation made this thesis multi-faceted. I owe so much to my school friends Fırat Çapan and Harima Razban, who unconditionally supported me in various situations throughout my stay in Ankara. I am indebted to Ussal Şahbaz from TEPAV, with whom we worked on Armenian- Turkish projects for normalization of relations. His enthusiasm and high level of professionalism significantly contributed to my experience, at the same time enabling to see the Armenian-Turkish dialogue from the angle of non-governmental organizations. v Special thanks and appreciation to the head of International Students department at Department for Turks Abroad and Relative Societies(Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı) Engin Vural, and Administrative Secretary of Graduate School of Social Science at Hacettepe University Özkan Ay, whose professionalism and readiness to assist the international students are very precious, especially when the students just start their life in the unfamiliarcountry and social-cultural environment. With great appreciation I would like to refer to Armen Manuk-Khaloyan, who edited the historical chapter of the thesis. His academic corrections of the text and supplements with wider historical bibliography enriched the study. I am very grateful to my family for letting me to do my studies in Ankara – it was very bold of them, taking into the consideration their constant concern and worry for me. I would like to express my deepest graditude to Doğaçhan Dağı, whose unprecedented editing of the thesis in a very short period of time and constant counsel on such a sensitive topic made this thesis come true.His observations on Armenian-Turkish relations from the Turkish perspective helped me to get acquainted with the Turkish point of view, being more realistic and correct in analyses of Armenian-Turkish relations. And in the very end I would like to thank all anonyomous readers who will have a look at this thesis – I hope, that at least partially, it will satisfy some of their questions, helping them to understand better the experiences, sentiments, and expectations of the Armenians living in Turkey and Armenia. vi ÖZET YAYLOYAN, Diana, 1915 Medz Yeghern’e İlişkin Türkiye'deki ve Ermenistan'daki Ermenilerin Algılarının Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analizi. Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Ankara, 2015. Bu çalışma, Türkiye'de ve Ermenistan'da Ermeniler arasında 1915 Medz Yeghern algısı ile ilgilidir. Araştırma konusunu ayrıntılandırmak için, geniş bir akademik literatür ile otuz derinlemesine yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler değerlendirilmiştir.Tezin amacı Türkiye ve Ermenistan'da Ermeniler ile yapılan görüşmelerden çeşitli veriler toplayarak zaman boyunca algı dönüşümünü anlamak ve bunun yanı sıra ana faktörleri incelemek, 1915 Medz Yeghern algısını oluşturan faktörleri ve Ermeni tarafının Türkiye’den beklentilerini (hükümet ve sıradan vatandaş bazında) ortaya çıkartmaktır. Tez, sadece akademik literatüre Ermenilerin Medz Yeghern algısına ilişkin bir katkı sunmakla kalmayıp; aynı zamanda Türk okuyuculara Ermeni-Türk ilişkileri konusunda, karşı tarafın kaygıları ve beklentileri üzerine derinlikli bilgi edinebileceği bir kılavuz rölü görecektir. Anahtar Sözcükler Medz Yeghern, Algı, Tarihsel Batı Ermenistan, Travma. vii ABSTRACT YAYLOYAN, Diana, The Comparative Study Of Perceptions of Armenians in Turkey And Armenia Regarding 1915 Medz Yeghern. Master’s Thesis, Ankara, 2015. This study deals with the perception of 1915 Medz Yeghern among Armenians in Turkey and Armenia. To elaborate the research topic, thirty in-depth semistructural interviews along with the wide academic literature were utilitized. The thesis is multifaceted: by collecting various data from interviews conducted with Armenians in Turkey and Armenia, it aims to iluminate the transformation of their perception throughout the time, to examine the main factors, that shapethe perception of 1915 Medz Yeghern, as well as to reveal the expectations of Armenians from the Turkish side (both from the government and ordinary citizens). This thesis is not only an additional contribution to the academic literature on Medz Yeghern perception by the Armenian side, but at the same time it is a specific guideline for the Turkish readers to get acquainted with the concerns and expectations of the Armenians living in Turkey and Armenia regarding the Armenian-Turkish relations. Key Words Medz Yeghern, Perception, Historical Western Armenia, Trauma. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS KABUL VE ONAY…………………….……………..........…..……….............……..…...….i BİLDİRİM……………………………………………………….......……...............…..….…..ii DEDICATION……………………………………………….………......................…..……..iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..…………………………..…………..................…...…..…..…iv ÖZET….………………………………..…………….……………...........................…..…...vi ABSTRACT…………….……………………………………...…................….……...........vii TABLE OF CONTENTS..……......…………………………………...….....................…..viii LIST OF TABLES …..…………………………………………………………...…..…….…xi METHODOLOGY……………………………………………......….…….............…..........xii STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS…………………………….....………..............…......…..xii INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………….....................……..1 CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK OF PERCEPTION PROCESS.............4 1.1.THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON PERCEPTION..........................................7 1.2. PERCEPTION OF HISTORICAL TRAUMA AND TRANSGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION………………………………………….......…..........................….........11 1.3. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY.............…......……....…...........….15 1.4. CONCLUSION TO THE CHAPTER ............….….…..….......…….........….17 CHAPTER 2. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY'S LIFE IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE BEFORE 1915……………….............…….…..…….…..18 2.1. THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE OTTOMAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY ..………………….....………….............…………….........…19 2.2. THE ARMENIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE OTTOMAN HERITAGE. ISTANBUL AS A CULTURAL, ECONOMİC AND POLİTİCAL CENTER FOR ARMENIANS…………….…………..............................………................…...……..…...21 ix 2.3. FROM THE ARMENIAN QUESTION TO ARMENIAN