Is Turkey Renaming Istanbul Constantinople?

foreignpolicy.com ^ | SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 | NICK DANFORTH

[Nikas777]

Is Turkey Renaming Istanbul Constantinople?

Chances of Turkey and the Kurds reaching a rapprochement are at their highest in 25 years. But what does that mean for Turkification -- and what concessions are the Turks willing to make?

BY NICK DANFORTH | SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

Last month, Turkish President Abdullah Gul broke a long-standing national taboo: He called the remote village of Guroymak by its Kurdish name, Norshin.

The president's opponents say renaming Istanbul Constantinople on highway signs will inevitably follow. Or worse. For many Turks, saying Norshin leads to saying Kurdistan, and saying Kurdistan leads to recognizing an independent Kurdish state stretching across Iran, Iraq, and southeastern Turkey.

After a 1980 military coup, Turkey "Turkified": It banned the Kurdish language, imposed new Turkish place names, and famously declared that Kurds were actually "mountain Turks."

[MortMan]

I grew up in Upstate NY, so I couldn’t say anything about California.

Dr. Demento was a late-Sunday night show that included such favorites as “I’m my own Grandpa” and “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”. (Not to mention “Can’t go back to Constantinople”).

I listened to everything from Classical, through classic rock, through heavy metal, to Dr. Demento.

But, I’ve always known I’m a bit “unique”. ;-P

[Nikas777]

I never heard of him before. Was he syndicated nationwide? I always wondered if those gimmicky radio songs had like an origin. I love them until I hear em a thousand times and then I want to shoot my self! LOL! Thanks for the info. I try to maintain a database of shows as part of my effort to be a cultural historian.

[colorado tanker]

When you're alone and life is making you lonely You can always go - downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry Seems to help, I know - downtown

[Ciexyz]

I miss the name 'Constantinople' - it has such a history behind it.

[DesScorp]

It SHOULD be Constantinople again, because it’s on the Greek side, and thus, should belong to Greece. Turkey got it by conquest. But it’s a pipe-dream that they’ll ever give it back.

[Nikas777]

Nationalities need not change. The Turks should allow the Greeks who were driven off in 1955 to reclaim their properties and to be compensated. Also, the church of Hagia Sofia shouldbe returned to the church - which is after all a native local church - and the Turks would make a fortune off the tourist traffic.

The problem is Turks really are afraid someone may come along and kick them out - it is their hidden unspoken fear.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Interesting stuff! Where do you get all this?

[muawiyah]

Having asked the question of both ethnic Kurds and ethnic Turks many times over the years, I think it's safe to say that the Turkish and Kurdish populations are fairly well overlapped in muchof the Eastern half of Turkey.

They differ in their occupations and lifestyles. The Kurds are classically herders and subsistence farmers and live in the highlands, and the Turks are large scale agriculturalists and live in the lowlands.

They are separated by language and tradition.

I'm pretty sure DNA analysis would reveal them to be essentially the same folks.

[muawiyah]

Been studying the origins of the various settlements on the East Coast for several decades.

The population in Maryland was reported by the government in Virginia in the early 1600s. They had no idea where all those people came from. Neither did the people.

[Buck W.]

My post was a joke—ever hear of a side hill fimp?

[muawiyah]

I know people who would kill you for giving voice to that question. It’s serious business in some quarters.

[FTJM]

If Russia invaded Turkey from behind, would Greece help?

[Buck W.]

Are you one of them?

[muawiyah]

Of course not.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Wow.