İstanbul Süryani Kadîm Cemaatinde Etno-Dinsel Kimliğin İnşası ve Kimlik Stratejileri

Abstract

Although the main concern of this thesis is to analyze the anthropological aspects of the identity construction process among the Süryani Kadîm community's members settled in Istanbul, a comprehensive historical perspective is drawn describing their changing positions under the Islamic and Turkish rule. It is in this context that an emphasis is put on the dynamic nature of the ethno-religious identity, transforming itself throughout history according to emerging socio-political situations. The central argument of this study claims that the non-Muslim minorities in the Middle East, which are usually depicted as powerless or victimized subjects by the prevailing paradigm, have to be considered as social agents having the capacity of inventing their own survival or empowerment strategies, contrary to the usual expectations.Data used in this thesis based on the above-cited problematic, were collected during an ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Istanbul within a two year period, and w