The reflection of the concept of 'los Turcos' in Latin American culture to contemporary Latin American novel

In this thesis, it has been examined how the phenomenon of los turcos in Latin American culture is reflected in the Contemporary Latin American Novel. Starting from the middle of the XIX. century until the beginning of the XX. century, hundreds of thousands of people from the Ottoman Empire immigrated to different countries of Latin America. These immigrants, mostly consisting of Christian or Muslim Arabs of Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese origin, Greeks and Armenians, with fewer Turks among them, were referred to as los turcos, that is, 'Turks' in Latin American countries where they went with Ottoman passports. Although some of them returned after a while, the majority of these immigrants continued to live in the countries they settled. The immigrants in question experienced various difficulties and a difficult life when they first migrated, and they even faced xenophobia and discrimination in some countries. These immigrants, who intend to establish a new life in the country of their dreams, have generally continued to be referred to as 'Turks', although they felt like Latin Americans and adapted to the society. These immigrants have become an undeniable part of the society over time, and have attracted attention with their success and rise in the countries they live in. Of course, these immigrants existed in Latin American literature as well as in social life, and they often took place as main protagonists or secondary characters in many novels. With this thesis, Ottoman immigrant characters in contemporary novels from Brazil and Argentina in the Main Ports Region of Latin America, Chile and Peru in the Andean Region, Colombia and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, and Mexico and Guatemala in Central North America were examined with the structuralist solutions method and the prominent elements compared with the findings of historical studies. As a result of the examination, it was concluded that the reflection of Ottoman immigrants in the novels is largely realistic.