Balkanization and Turkish identity in Balkans (The case of Macedonia and Kosovo)

Balkanization is a concept that has geographical and geopolitical meanings. In this sense, balkanization results in the formation of new and small states emerging as the result of ethnic-religious conflicts. Within the new state order, when homogeneity can not be ensured in the context of the national and religious identities, the social relations established between different identities may also lead to new conflicts. This situation requires taking the phenomena of balkanization into conisderation within the context of social distance from a sociological point of view. Turks in Kosovo and Macedonia have become members of a nation that has turned into a minority in terms of population and influence both after the balkanization of the Ottoman State and after the balkanization of Yugoslavia. The aim of the study is to investigate the cultural relations that the Turks of Kosovo and Macedonia establish with the dominant national-religious components of the countries where they live as a minority. Within the scope of the study, acculturation orientations of the minority nation, acculturation orientations of the dominant elements and atmosphere presented for minorities by the socio-political structure were discussed in the context of interactive acculturation theory. In the study, a number of questions were asked to Turks of Kosovo and Macedonia regarding the Turkish identity and culture by means of the semi-structured interview technique. In addition to the acculturation orientations, identity definitions of Turks were tried to be understood from the world of the respondents in the context of national, religious, ethnic and cultural identities. Respondents' perceptions of homeland and views on the Turkish policy regarding Turks in Kosovo and Macedonia were also included within the study as well as their strrugle for maintaining and protecting the Turkish identity and culture.