Denialism in Turkey has been a phenomenon which has gained significant precedence since the Armenian genocide of 1915. The Turkish governments over the last century have been accountable for...Show moreDenialism in Turkey has been a phenomenon which has gained significant precedence since the Armenian genocide of 1915. The Turkish governments over the last century have been accountable for several crimes which have been inflicted amongst several minority groups within the country causing a grave loss to their identities, memories, property and possessions. Denial has played an intrinsic role within the violence which has been inflicted amongst people to diverge the scene from criminal acts to portray justification of their motives instead.Show less
History can only be proven so far as by means of pragmatic hermeneutics. With the right motives, there will always be questions to raise about historical evidence, which is the exact reason why the...Show moreHistory can only be proven so far as by means of pragmatic hermeneutics. With the right motives, there will always be questions to raise about historical evidence, which is the exact reason why the history of the Armenian genocide can continue to be questioned. The Turkish state maintains that the deportations and mass-slaughter of Armenians in 1915-6 were not acts of genocide, but rather wartime countermeasures against an insurgent ethnic group. The intent of the Young Turk regime to homogenize Anatolia as part of their Turko-nationalist agenda by means of extermination of Christian minorities has been repeatedly proven in numerous works. These include titles written by Armenians as well as Western and dissident Turkish historians. Despite this overwhelming amount of evidence, the debate rages on and denialists continue to publish new work. This research has attempted to create a more thorough knowledge of their methods of argumentation, which can prove an essential tool in countering their narrative. This thesis is structured around the question to what extent the denial of the Armenian genocide can be labeled as a conspiracy theory or not.Show less
