Memory and Identity Construction in Turkish and Tatar Communities in Dobruja (Romania) During the Communist Period
Memory and Identity Construction in Turkish and Tatar Communities in Dobruja (Romania) During the Communist Period

Summary/Abstract: The present study aims to determine the identity dynamics of two ethnic communities of Romania, the Turks and the Tatars. The study focusses on the Communist period inorder to highlight the way in which the political, economic, and social changes of the time were reflected in the ethnic and religious identity structures of the Turks and Tatarsin Dobruja, and it subsequently focusses on developments regarding identity after 1990. Based on field research, the study identifies patterns in the memory of the Communist period, the types of relations and attitudes towards the regime of the time, as well as the evolution of the self-image and the image of the other (Turk/Tatar) generated by the main components of identity (ethnicity, religion, origins, mother tongue, and traditions) maintained both within the socialist society and after the fall of Communism.

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