Zeynep Öztürk, M.A.

Projektleitung:

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hacısalihoğlu

My doctoral research explores how Turkish-speaking communities in late 19th century Ottoman Macedonia developed forms of collective identity during a period when nationalist and revolutionary movements were gaining momentum across the region. Focusing on the concept of Ummah as a framework for belonging, the project seeks to understand how Muslim Turks responded to violence, imperial instability, and intercommunal tensions, not simply as passive subjects of the state, but as historical actors striving to assert their own voice and place within a shifting political landscape. By moving beyond state-centered narratives, this research aims to recover the perspectives of often-overlooked Turkish-Muslim communities in the Balkans and contribute to broader discussions on identity, community, and political agency in the late Ottoman context.