The Effects of the Armenian Schools on Armenian Identity Formation in Turkey

In this study, the discourse analysis of the historical procession of the Armenian schools, the last period of the Ottoman Empire and theestablishment and development stages of the Republic of Turkey have been analyzed in terms of the influence of the Armenian schools on the formationof the ethnic identities of the Armenian students in Turkey. The relationship between the Armenian schools and the ethnic identity formation of theArmenian students, problematized within the regulations imposed by the Turkish Republic in the field of education for Armenian schools and called asTurkification politics, has been evaluated in the context of in- depth interviews conducted with various Armenian schools, principals, teachers, studentsand graduates who still continue to exist. In this study, considering the fact that various regulations in the field of education such as the Turkisheducation system and curriculum, the regulation of the courses, the selection of the teachers and the contents of the textbooks were formed around theTurkish identity, it has been questioned how the Armenian students were able to realize their ethnic identity by staying in between Turkish andArmenian identities throughout their education life. How the students were influenced by the Armenian schools in the formation of the perceptions of theArmenian identity, the students who trained in both Turkish and Armenian schools, the transitions they experienced between the Turkish and Armenianschools, and the way that these transitions effected how the Armenian identities as the other are experienced were evaluated and examinedcomparatively.