The Péra-Society of Istanbul from 1918/23 to the Present

The projected study on the Péra-Society of Istanbul (from 1918/23 to the present) is a contribution to aspects of multiculturalism, minority studies and cultural anthropology in contemporary Southeastern Europe. The term Péra- Society refers to the non-Muslim population of Istanbul`s district Péra, today Beyoglu. Immigrants from all over Europe on the one hand, and already established non-Muslim groups in Istanbul, who expanded to the economically prospering Péra on the other hand, once met in Péra, the former embassies` district, on a very confined space since the late 19th century. Though the ethnic and cultural differences of the individual cultural codes have been maintained and are clearly perceptible, the host of codes have formed a specific cultural configuration and consequently have become constitutive parts of a new cultural entity that is permanently being enriched by its representatives. As a result the so-called Péra-Society, a multicultural and -ethnic, urbane society has emerged, which is shaped by European-middle-class traditions. The main objective of the projected study is to show that in spite of the pivotal events of 1918/23 the Péra-Society has been maintained and that even nowadays the vestigial remains of the Péra-Society as a multicultural and -ethnic entity are obvious. Identities grown for generations, have emerged within the multiculturally urbane ambience of Péra, and express and foster even nowadays a supranational sense of community. A critically in-depth examination of the phenomenon Péra-Society is based on the fact that since the late 80s Turkish scholars have intensified their research on the history of Péra and have published a real host of relevant monographs. Western and Greek scholars alike, in contrast, prefer a nationally and accordingly also chronologically restricted approach to specific parts of the Péra-Society. They take the view that the Péra-Society is characterized by a plurality of cultures and ethnic groups, which may be linked by various interactions, but also exist separately side by side. The projected topic represents innovative work in international and national research. Methodically, the proposed research is mainly orientated towards Oral History; written source material will only be used additionally. In-depth interviews with narrators of several generations of the Péra-Society will give information about its self-definition and its self-image, will make clear the complex reasons for identity transformations in the course of approximately 80 years and enable the project team to develop perspectives with respect to a future multicultural and -ethnic construct.