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

Ömer Asan Ömer 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 Kültürü''. ...

about the pontic

Greek Muslims Greek Muslims, also known as Grecophone Muslims, are Muslims of Greeks, Greek ethnic origin whose adoption of Islam (and often the Turkish language and identity in more recent times) dates either from the contact of early Arabic dynasties of th ...

Trabzon Province Trabzon Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Its area is 4,628 km2, and its population is 818,023 (2022). Located in a strategic ...

. ''Pontos Kültürü'' documents Asan's

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

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 nor ...

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 the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

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 is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Asan was charged with violating the Anti-Terrorism Law by "propagandating separatism". The author, the book, and the publisher were eventually acquitted in 2003.https://web.archive.org/web/20041114200231/http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison/bulletins/acquittalforomerasan/

Bibliography

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

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

, 1997. (translation of the above)

References

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 Internati ...

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-language books 1996 non-fiction books Anthropology books Pontus (region) Censorship in Turkey {{Anthropology-book-stub