Zum Thema

In museum and heritage studies we ask whose heritages/histories/stories are represented and how; but also, what are the absences, and why? This talk will focus on absent stories in heritage and history in Turkey with a focus on the story of the Greek (‘Rum') communities of Istanbul, who have been subject to historical marginalisation and persecution, forced displacement, and depopulation. Today, Istanbul's remaining community is heavily diminished, although community life continues through key cultural institutions such as schools. A significant diaspora community lives in Athens. This research works with both to explore the ways in which people live with the past in the present, through maintaining cultural practices, through reminiscence and storytelling, and through museum-like collections and displays in their domestic lives and spaces, connecting personal memory to historical events. The talk explores how memory mapping and filmmaking are used as ways of presenting alternative heritages and histories that capture the emotional vividness of these practices and to create memory resources with and for the community, as well as for wider.

Kontakt: Prof. Dr. Yavuz Köse, yavuz.köse@univie.ac.at