By: Hambersom Aghbashian
Ayse Hur (b. 1956, Artvin ), is a Turkish researcher, author , historian and columnist. Her parents ( father of Pomak*- Bulgarian speaking Muslim- origin and her mother of 
Turkish origin) were both teachers (1) .She lived with her parents in Urfa and Edirne, then moved to Istanbul. Having completed her double major in 1992 from the departments of history and international relations at Bogazici University, she joined the History Foundation of Turkey and worked on such projects as the Istanbul Encyclopedia. In 2004, she completed her master’s thesis on “The European Union’s Policies of Reconciling with History and the Armenian Question” at the Ataturk Institute of Bogazici University, then pursued her doctorate degree at the same institution. She is a member of the editorial board of Social History, and writes historical and political articles in various newspapers and journals, including Taraf, Radikal, Birikim, and Agos.(2)
According to Turkish literatureblog.wordpress.com (Dec.8, 2013), ” Being a historian, Ayşe Hür is particularly known for her articles in the widely read Turkish newspaper Radikal. Her texts often deal with current political issues and provide related historical insights at the same time. In her articles entitled “I apologize for not apologizing” published in the Armenian Weekly in 2009, she wrote about the Armenian genocide and the very sensitive topic of collective amnesia as opposed to cosmopolitan memory. She attempts to make peace with the past.(2)
In a speech which was delivered at a conference on the Legacy of the 1915 Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, held in Stockholm, Sweden on the 23 March 2009, Ayse Hur recalled the reply of Kiazim Karabekir to Georgi Chicherin in the early 20’s: “In Turkey there has been neither an Armenia nor territory inhabited by Armenians” . Since then indeed, Turkey’s policies didn’t really changed up to the eve of the 21st century. Basically, it followed the classical patterns of inconsistent denial, i.e. gross minimization, condoning, rationalization and trivialization. These patterns which are not specific to the denial of the Armenian Genocide but which are common to any Genocide denial: they have been extensively described by many prominent scholars. The old-style Kemalist denial aimed at reaching the provisional acquittal of Turkey. The new-style denial aims at the permanent deferment of the verdict.She concluded her speech by an optimistic observation” How malicious is this new denial strategy, it could eventually turn against its promoters.”(3)
Ayşe Hür was one of the Turkish intellectuals who signed a letter asking the Royal Library in Copenhagen” not to Stand Before Turkey’s Democratization and Confrontation with its History”. The Turkish embassy’s initiative to open an alternative exhibition at the Royal Library in Copenhagen, where the exhibition “The Armenian Genocide and the Scandinavian Response” opened on November 6 ,2012 was the motive to the letter where they mentioned that ” Over one million Ottoman Armenian citizens were forced out of their homes and annihilated in furtherance of an intentional state policy. What exists today is nothing other than the blatant denial of this reality by the Turkish government.(4)
————————————————————————————————————————————–
*Pomaks (Bulgarian – Turkish: Pomaklar) is a term used for Bulgarian-speaking Muslims who are indigenous to southern Bulgaria, Northern Greece, Turkey, Albania, Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo.
1- http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ay%C5%9Fe_H%C3%BCr
2- http://www.armenianweekly.com/author/ayse-hur/
3-http://turkishliteratureblog.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/ayse-hur-a-free-spirit/
4- http://eurotopie.leylekian.eu/2009/06/turkeys-policies-and-holes-with-regard.html
5- http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/The_Armenian_Genocide_and_the_Scandinavian_Response
Also Featured on
Nor Or, May 22, 2014