GERÇEK KÜRESEL BİR SUÇ? AFRİKA VE "ERMENİ SOYKIRIMINI" TANITMA KAMPANYASI

1915 olaylarını yasama kararları ve diğer kararlarla soykırım olaraknitelendirilmesi için yürütülen kampanya çok siyasileştirilmiş bir niteliğesahiptir. Bu kampanya, dünyanın Birinci Dünya Savaşı sırasında gerçekleşenErmenilerin zorla göçünü "Ermeni Soykırımı" olarak tanımasını talepetmektedir. Karşılaştırmalı inceleme yaklaşımını kullanan bu makale, bukampanyadaki aktörlere ve konulara ve bu kampanyanın başarılarına gözatmakta ve böylece yeteri kadar araştırılmamış bir konuya vurgu yapmaktadır:bu kampanyanın destekçilerinin "soykırım" meselesi konusunda gerçekten tümdünyada girişimlerde bulunmak konusundaki yetersizlikleri ve isteksizlikleri.Tam tersine, mevcut veriler bu kampanyanın belli kıtalara ve ülkelereodaklandığını ve hem Asya hem de Afrika'yı göz ardı ettiğini belirtmektedir.Afrika örneğini irdeleyen bu makale, özellikle şu dört bağlantılı soruyusormakta ve bu sorulara cevap vermeye çalışmaktadır: 1) Ermenilerinyürüttüğü bu kampanyayı dünyanın bazı yerlerinde girişimlerde bulunmayaancak diğer yerleri göz ardı etmeye iten şey nedir?; 2) Bu kampanyanın başarıseviyesini açıklayan şey nedir?; 3) Afrika'dan kaçınmanın ve onu göz ardıetmenin çıkarımları nelerdir?; 4) Ve bu, bu kampanya hakkında neleri ortayaçıkarmaktadır? Bu makale, Ermenilerin yürüttüğü bu kampanyanın Afrika veAfrikalılardan dikkatli bir şekilde kaçınmasının ve oraya ve onlara yönelikgirişimlerde bulunmamasının lojistik bir gereksinimden ziyade, bu durumundaha çok kampanyanın siyasileştirilmiş odağının bir göstergesi olduğuhipotezini ortaya koymaktadır. Buna ek olarak, bu durum, Batı-merkezli, Türkkarşıtı ve Müslüman-karşıtı bir kampanyanın on dokuzuncu yüzyıl ırkçıtemellerini yansıtmaktır. Bu bulgular kampanyanın beyan ettiği hedeflerinsorgulanmasına sebep olmaktadır. Bununla bağlantılı olarak bu bulgular,"Ermeni Soykırımını" tanıyan varlıkların bunu iki taraf için de ölümlerlesonuçlanan bir savaşın mağdurlarını seçici bir şekilde anmaktan ziyade, bunuırkçı ve çarpık okumalara dayalı bir tarih anlayışından esinlenmiş,siyasileştirilmiş bir gerçekliği yasamak için yaptığını göstermektedir.

A TRULY GLOBAL CRIME? AFRICA AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE" RECOGNITION

The campaign to gain legislative and other resolutions labellingthe events of 1915 as genocide is highly politicized. This is a campaign thatdemands the world recognize that the forced migration of Armeniansoccurring during World War I constituted the "Armenian Genocide".Utilizing a comparative analytical approach, this article looks at the actors,issues, and successes of the campaign, thus highlighting an underexploredissue: the inability or unwillingness of its proponents to actually engage theentire world on the issue. Instead, the data indicates that the campaignfocuses on certain continents and states, ignoring both Asia and Africa. Byexamining the case of Africa, in particular, this article asks and attempts toanswer four related questions: 1) What drives the Armenian campaign toengage certain parts of the world and ignore others? 2) What explains thecampaign's level of success?; 3) What are the implications of avoiding andignoring Africa?; and 4) And what does this reveal about the campaign?This article hypothesizes that the Armenian campaign's scrupulousavoidance of and non-engagement with Africa and Africans is a reflectionless of logistics and more demonstrative of the politicized focus that drivesthe campaign. Additionally, it reflects the nineteenth century racistfoundations of a Western-centric, anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim campaign.In short, in this campaign, certain states and people are prioritized overothers. These findings call into question the stated goals of the campaignand relatedly demonstrate that entities choosing to recognize the "ArmenianGenocide" have done so not to selectively honor the victims of internecinewar, but to legislate a politicized reality informed by racist and flawedreadings of history.

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