''Pontos Kültürü'' or ''Pontos Culture'' is a 1996 book by Turkish author

Ömer Asan Ömer Şükrü Asan (born May 28, 1961) is a Turkish folklorist, photographer and writer. In 2002, he was charged with allegations that he violated Article 8 of Turkey's Anti-Terror Law by "propagandating separatism" for his book '' Pontos Kül ...

about the pontic

Greek Muslims Greek Muslims, also known as Grecophone Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin whose adoption of Islam (and often the Turkish language and identity) dates to the period of Ottoman rule in the southern Balkans. They consist primarily of th ...

Trabzon Province Trabzon Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the ...

. ''Pontos Kültürü'' documents Asan's

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

fieldwork in his native village Çoruk (Τσορούκ, official name "Erenköy") in Of district. It contains a rich collection of oral traditions, local legends (such as Ancomah), and documentation of elements of material culture in Çoruk and its vicinity. The book is also a study of

Pontic Pontic, from the Greek ''pontos'' (, ), or "sea", may refer to: The Black Sea Places * The Pontic colonies, on its northern shores * Pontus (region), a region on its southern shores * The Pontic–Caspian steppe, steppelands stretching from no ...

in its Of dialect. As the author asserts in its foreword, "the book does not reach the Pontos Culture but approaches it." In its entirety, the book is also a polemical text against the mainstream nationalist currents of

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

that are dominant in Turkey. In January 2002, following a programme televised on the Turkish TV ATV, the book became the centre of controversy. Asan, accused of treason by nationalistic circles, was threatened by supporters of MHP. The book was banned the same month due to a verdict by the State Security Court in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

br>
Asan was charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Law by "propagandating separatism

The author, the book, and the publisher were eventually acquitted in 200

Bibliography

* Ömer Asan, ''Pontos Kültürü'' 'Pontos Culture', ''Belge Yayınları'' of Ragip Zarakolu, 1996. Second edition, 2000 (). * --, ''Ο Πολιτισμóς του Πóντου'', ''Kyriakidis Publishers'',

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

, 1997. (translation of the above)

External links

Ömer Asan, a writer before the Courts

International PEN PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internationa ...

notice on Asan's trial
The Pontian muslims at the target of Turkey
Article about the book, controversy, and its impacts, by Nikos Doukas Turkish books 1996 non-fiction books Anthropology books Pontus (region) Censorship in Turkey {{Anthropology-book-stub