I once suggested to a Turkish friend that the whole phenomenon of Turkishness (Türklük) resembled a bus traveling across Asia from East to West. The trip took a long time, and there were many stops. At each stop, people got on and off. They loaded and unloaded bags and bundles as they did so. Many of the travelers cared little about the beginning and ending points of the bus route. Many intended to go only short distances. The idea that what they shared with all the other passengers on the bus was more significant than their differences probably never crossed their minds. Occasionally, the bus broke down and had to be repaired with parts found along the way. By the time the bus reached Turkey, it was hard to know which, if any, of the passengers or parcels had been on board for the whole trip. The bus, too, ws no longer the same as when it set out. Yet this was still the "Trans-Asian Turkish Bus."
--Carter Vaughn Findley, The Turks in World History 5 (2005)
1 comment:
make sense. today;s Turks a re very diverse genetically. true melting pot of the old world. sometimes walking on Istanbul street, one wonder if you are in New York or London (escape African immigrants). The difference is that diversity is accepted as norm and not distinctive and politically advertised to the world like they do in American politics, claiming that everyone is equal yet forcing ethnic layer in the society.
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