| ID | 190106 |
| Title Proper | Cultural nationalism and the spread of a ‘national language’ among Arabophone, Turcophone and Kurdophone Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, c. 1840 to c. 1860 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Manoukian, Jennifer |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article explores the historical moment in which the concept of a ‘national language’ began to spread among Ottoman Armenians. It does so by examining the establishment of educational associations aimed at changing the language practices of non-Armenophone Armenians in three parts of the Ottoman Empire: Aleppo, Kayseri and Diyarbekir. I argue that these associations were part of a larger cultural nationalist movement that gained momentum in urban centers beginning in the 1840s. Through an examination of the founding principles of the associations, I show how they sought to integrate Arabic-, Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking Armenians into the would-be national community by facilitating their acquisition of Armenian. Historiographically, this article shines a spotlight on the unexamined dynamics of Ottoman Armenian cultural nationalism and language-based identity formation. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 59, No.3; May 2023: p.359-376 |
| Journal Source | Middle Eastern Studies Vol: 59 No 3 |
| Key Words | Identity ; Language Education ; Ottoman Armenians ; Historical Sociolinguistics ; Linguistic Communities ; Cultural Associations |