TURKISH CIVIL SOCIETY: DRIVING THE POLITICS OF MEMORY

Over the last decade, during which the discussion of memory was opened in the Turkish public sphere, Turkish civil society has taken part in initiatives that go well beyond those launched by the state and the political elite, especially concerning policies related to memory, culture, and the environment. In this regard, the December 2008 campaign, which apologized for the Great Catastrophe inflicted upon the Ottoman Armenians in 1915, constituted an important milestone. This article examines the role of Turkish civil initiatives in dealing with official state narratives of history, and particularly their prospects in paving the way for a healthy return of memory through the opening up of space for discussion in Turkish public sphere.