Proceedings of the International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in the 21st Century
Year: 2023
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/icsh21.2023.11.105
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An Assessment on the Implementation and Consequences of the Mübadele (Population Exchange) on its 100th Anniversary: Turkish & Greek Sides
Zekiye Nazli Kansu
ABSTRACT:
The Exchange is contemporaneous with the Republic of Turkey today. The Exchange turned 100 years old on January 26, 2023. The Exchange is one of the greatest migrations of the 20th century. Just like all migrations, it has caused significant trauma in the memories and identity construction of societies. The Exchange was not an exile but rather a migration that occurred entirely within a legal framework of an agreement and contract. This migration took place between the newly established Republic of Turkey and Greece, which separated from the Ottoman Empire in 1822. In Turkey, except for specific exceptions, the Greek Orthodox population was sent to Greece, while in return, the Turkish Muslim population in Greece, again with some exceptions, was brought to Turkey. In other words, a population exchange was carried out. In this study, the reasons and processes of the exchange, as well as the effects it has had on the Turkish and Greek sides, are examined. Qualitative research method and literature review are employed in the study. The literature review is conducted by referring to the works of Turkish and Greek researchers. The political, social, and economic reasons resulting from the exchange are presented by addressing both the Turkish and Greek perspectives. This forms the research question of the study. The study is concluded by evaluating the emerged results.
keywords: Mubadele, The Population Exchange, Türkiye, Greece, Lausanne Peace Treaty, Trauma