An online-only lecture on Karamanlide literature will be presented in Greek by Evangelia Achladi on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., as part of Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered by the Melbourne Greek Community.
Karamanlidika literature – texts written in the Turkish language with Greek characters/alphabets – was intended for the Orthodox Turkic population of Asia Minor.
Printed Karamanlidika literature covers a period from the early 18th to the early 20th century. Karamanlidika prints, being a cultural product of the Ottoman period, were affected by political developments in Ottoman society such as the Tanzimat reforms, Europeanization and secularization movements, as well as the educational and proselytizing missionary activities of the American and British missions.
Initially, Karamanlidika literature focused on the religious and moral education of Turkish-speaking Orthodox Christians, but little by little we see the appearance of secular works (dictionaries, practical guides, etc.). Especially in the second half of the 19th century, the number of secular books increases with the publications of literature, mainly translations of European novels, and popular books relating to general education or daily life.
In addition, at the end of the 19th century, popular Armenian-Persian epic poems were published, as well as studies of the local history of Asia Minor written by scholars of Cappadocian origin. This presentation presents the characteristics of the different periods of production of the karamanlidika, the main publishers and printing presses as well as their interaction with other types of literature within the Ottoman society.
Since 2012, Evangelia Achladi has been the Library and Culture Coordinator of the Cultural Center of Greece in Istanbul (Sismanogleio Megaro-Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul). His research interests include 20th century Ottoman history (social and educational history of Greek Orthodox communities), Karamanlidika literature, Asia Minor dialects as well as language contact issues.
Some of his published studies are: “The Greek press from 1784 to today: historical and theoretical approaches”, (2005), “Smyrna: the forgotten city?”, (2006), “Encyclopedia of the Greek press 1784-1974 “, Institution of Modern Greek Studies (2008), “Young Turks and Ottoman Greeks in Smyrna. The Greek boycott (1908-1911)”, Kebikeç (2008), “The linguistic question in Smyrna in the first two decades of the 20th century “, Δελτίο της καθ’ημάς ανατολής (2011),” the periodical Karamanlidika Aktis (1913-1915) “, (2014), Karamanlı Rum Ortodoks Bir Askerin Seferberlik Hatıraları, Cenakkale Ve Doğu Cepheleri, 1915-1919 Theodosiadis, Autobiography of a Mechanic by Macri and Livisi (2021), Lycia in the 19th and 20th Centuries (Macri-Livisi-Tarsanas), (2021).
When: Thursday June 30, 2022, 7 p.m.
Where: Online, Facebook and Youtube
