Afro-Turks

After the abolition of slavery towards the end of the Ottoman Empire, the majority of freed black slaves who remained in Anatolia were taken to state "guesthouses" in a number of cities throughout the Empire, the most important of which was in Izmir. Despite their longstanding presence, the descendants of these black slaves-today, citizens of the Republic of Turkey-have until recently remained invisible both in the official historiography and in academic scholarship of history and social science. It is only since the establishment of the Association of Afro-Turks in 2006 that the black population has gained public and media attention and a public discussion has finally begun on the legacies of slavery in Turkey. Drawing on in-depth interviews with members of the Afro-Turk community (2014-2016), I examine the key role of the foundation of the Afro-Turk Association in reshaping the ways in which they think of themselves, their shared identity and history.

Although Afro-Turks have been long confused with Arabs, they are people of African descent brought by Arab slave traders from Zanzibar, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan and Kenya more than a few centuries ago. Therefore, the phrase “Afro-Turk” is a relatively new word in the colloquial language of the Turkish people. It is true that the slavery system in the Ottoman Empire was somewhat different from the notorious Atlantic Slave Trade due to perception of Islamic emancipation based on the Holy Quran.  On the other hand, this understanding will not obscure the very fact that these people were enslaved. Today, Afro-Turks live in different places throughout Turkey. They are, however, mainly settled in and around Aegean and Mediterranean cities. Only a few studies have been conducted with the intention of changing the level of consciousness regarding the real identities and stories of Afro-Turks in Turkey. As a matter of fact, both due to their skin color and physiology, they have generally been treated as a foster children rather than Turkey’s own children. In this respect, this paper will try to concentrate on the hardships Afro-Turks have been enduring.

Working from the case of Afro-Turks backwards, in this article I first deal with how reading the past affects actions in the present and the nature of the societies persons of African descent live in today. Is the way we construct difference, or deal with racism, necessarily affects the possibility of having democracy in these societies? What right do historians--both on the inside and the outside--have to construct and reconstruct the past of African communities, define them as “diasporas,” and affect the present-day lives of the people whose past we study? The article concludes with a few comments on the question of African identities in the Ottoman Middle East and North Africa and successor states.

The aim of this article is to point out the inadequacy of the scholarly work on Turks of African origin, especially in International Relations discipline. Focusing on Turkish foreign policy, the article reminds two opportunities that Afro-Turks could have turned into agents: Initiation of "Opening Policy to Africa" and "diaspora diplomacy". However neither state nor International Relations scholars thought of exploring potential contribution of Afro-Turks in these two occasions. Criticizing this silence, the article puts "why" question in the center and asks various questions regarding the place of Afro-Turks in Turkish foreign policy. Rather than answering these questions, the article aims to point out the significance of raising them to be able to understand the silence about Afro-Turks and their potential agency in Turkish foreign policy.

"As part of the Black History Month celebrations Hendon Library invited Cezire Association chairperson, Mustafa Kureyşi to talk about the Black-Turks from Cyprus.

Kıbrıs'taki Siyah-î Türkler
20 Ekim 2012,
Londra, İngiltere

Siyahi Tarih Ayı (Black History Month) nedeniyle Hendon Kütüphanesi Cezire Derneği başkanı Mustafa Kureyşi'yi davet ederek özel bir oturum için sohbetler düzenledi. Kendisi Kıbrıs'ta bulunan Afrika kökenli Türkler hakkında bilgilerini paylaştı."

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Reşat Nuri Güntekin’in Cumhuriyet Dönemi eserlerinden olan Miskinler Tekkesi adlı romanı bağlamında; Cumhuriyetin ilk yıllarında savaştan yeni çıkmış ve yaralarını sarmakta olan bir milletin çok kültürlü yapısını gözler önüne sermektir. Miskinler Tekkesi, çok uluslu İstanbul ve İzmir’in çehresinde Afro-Türkleri de barındırması münasebetiyle alanında ender olan romanlardan bir tanesidir. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun kuruluşundan Cumhuriyetin ilk yıllarına kadar hem Anadolu hem de Balkanlar’daki topraklar, tıpkı Büyük İskender’in hayalini kurduğu İskenderiyeler gibi birçok milletin birlikte yaşadığı topraklar olmuştur. Avrupa’da Orta Çağ ve devamında hatta bugün bile en büyük sorun olan ırkçılığın aksine, Türk veya Müslüman olmayan toplumlar, Anadolu’da kabul görmüş ve onlara hoşgörü ile yaklaşılmıştır. Bu kolektif tutum ve duruş, Batılılaşma Dönemi’nden Cumhuriyet Dönemi’ne kadar yazılmış çoğu edebi eserde
kendine yer bulmuştur. Güntekin’in bu çarpıcı eseri her ne kadar Kocabaş Kazasker Molla’nın torunu şahsında, para için yapılan ‘onurlu’ dilencilik ile mevki ve makam için kul-köle olma üzerine eleştirel bir
yaklaşımı içerse de genç Türkiye’nin uyumlu bir orkestrayı andıran çok kültürlü toplumsal yapısına ışık tutması açısından önemlidir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Miskinler Tekkesi, Dilencilik, Kozmopolitanizm, Afro-Türkler