Hans-Peter Geissen

Articles de cet auteur (35)

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  Making nation from history. A challenge (2)

  6 June 2008

  Turkish nationalism is a puzzling enigma, which may be manifest on the level of its main protagonists.
  Another one of Nazim Hikmet’s great-grandfathers was Mehmet Ali Pasha, born with the name Karl Detroit in Brandenburg, Prussia, as the son of Huguenottes, whose forefathers had immigrated from France in 1685.
  First Article
  In 1843 Karl, a ship’s boy then, jumped from a Mecklenburgian cargo ship in Istanbul and was lucky to find protection by an Ottoman dignitary, who also organized his (...)

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  Making nation from history. A challenge (1)

  2 June 2008

  Turkish nationalism is a puzzling enigma, which may be manifest on the level of its main protagonists.
  Sometimes stylized as a “Godfather” of Turkish nationalism, the late-Ottoman intellectual Ziya Gökalp may serve as an appropriate entry. Gökalp, in analogy to and probably descendence from German romanticism, distinguished between culture and civilization. Here, civilization means rather technical and profane aspects of society, while culture means (expressions of) its spirit(uality). (...)

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  Precedents (II)

  27 March 2008

  Part one
  Shifting Attitudes
  Another line of precedents, or perhaps a consistent attitude, links European indifference vis-a-vis the constitutional rights of Cyprus Turks with religious preferences. Inasmuch as it is indeed the case -as many Turks would argue- Cyprus (1963, 1974) was a forerunner of Bosnia in the early 1990ies. Europeans, then, would prefer to see Muslims massacred over seeing a Muslim state in Europe. Unfortunately, this view cannot be totally rejected. For instance, (...)

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  Precedents (I)

  20 March 2008

  Much has been said in recent weeks about the precedent set by the unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo (in Serbian) or Kosova (in Albanian) Republic. For some reasons the precedents of 1776 (United States of America) or 1581 (The Netherlands), etc., did not impress everybody, so that they may need additional evidence that unilateral declarations of independence are indeed possible and may indeed be recognized by other states.
  Or not. We have a different precedent on (...)

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  Referendum on the European Constitution? - Perhaps, but ...

  8 February 2008

  It is true that the referendum is an ancient and well-established method of democracy (Refer to Traité européen : Congrès ou référendum ? par Gilles Devers, TE, jeudi 24 janvier 2008). Second, it is true that the treaties now going to the parliaments are basically what was named a European Constitution earlier. There is indeed some structural similarity between the question of a referendum or another mode of decision-making regarding this constitution, and the same question regarding Turkey’s (...)

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  Excursus : Vegetation, natural history and geo-politics (3)

  18 January 2008

  There are times when to observe Turkish politics may be tiresome and frustrating, particularly if you feel some sympathy for the Turks (in a broad meaning), the main victims of these politics. As an observer, you can’t do much about it. So sometimes it may be better to leave for a stroll in the greenery.
  First part
  Second part
  V. Geopolitical implications?
  Quite recently, an Italian friend reassured me that Italian geographical feeling tends to see the Caucasus as a border of Europe, (...)

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  A propos “privileged partnership”

  16 January 2008

  As we still have to learn what exactly people like Angela Merkel and Nicholas Sarkozy mean when they speak of a “privileged partnership” between Turkey and the European Union, some elements are obvious and some might be inferred from historical precedents quite prominent in European history.
  Let’s start with the obvious. The main goals are to prevent Turkey, as a state, to take part in the determination of common European policies on an equal footing. Turkey shall not take part in the (...)

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  Excursus : Vegetation, natural history and geo-politics (2)

  4 janvier 2008

  There are times when to observe Turkish politics may be tiresome and frustrating, particularly if you feel some sympathy for the Turks (in a broad meaning), the main victims of these politics. As an observer, you can’t do much about it. So sometimes it may be better to leave for a stroll in the greenery.
  First part
  IV. Different types of relics.
  It may be noted that it is Georgia which is mentioned by far the most frequently when the issue is Caucasian endemism. It’s not really wrong, (...)

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  Excursus: Vegetation, natural history and geo-politics (1)

  21 December 2007

  There are times when to observe Turkish politics may be tiresome and frustrating, particularly if you feel some sympathy for the Turks (in a broad meaning), the main victims of these politics. As an observer, you can’t do much about it. So sometimes it may be better to leave for a stroll in the greenery.
  I Nature and history
  The colour green has a tonic effect on human minds in general, and most people feel the beauty of flowers and trees, but with some floristic and plant-ecological (...)

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  The nature of Asia minor (2)

  23 October 2007

  Regarding the meaning of the terms erep and assu, as well as their descendants Europa and Asia, and then Occidens and Oriens, we find that they mean directions; that is, they are relative terms the exact meaning of which depends on the (normal) position of the speaker, on his or her subjectivity.
  .... - Following the first article
  Steppe Obviously, some steppe is a considerable part of the vegetation of Anatolia. Though it was only a minor component in the natural landscape, which was (...)

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