Historiography exists as much for what it does not show as for what it does show about history. Every historiography is a construction: the construction of identity, nation, faith... As long as these constructions are not questioned, they become truth, and thus it becomes meaningless to question official histories. However, in this process of construction, what the historian does not tell is as much a part of the truth as what he or she tells, and every finding over time needs to be added to this construction. In this way, although it cannot be claimed that the historical narrative is complete, the findings will be put together like pieces of a puzzle and another piece of darkness about the past will be illuminated. “International Balkan Symposium: History and Historiography in the Basins of Civilization III” aims to bring to light and discuss issues that have remained in the dark in Balkan historiography.
The main aim of the symposium: The main aim of the symposium is to reveal a holistic picture of the Balkan basin in terms of “historical sources” by examining the prominent historical sources and historians of the “Balkan geography” from the Ancient Greek period to the present day. This symposium will provide new researchers who will conduct research on the region with the opportunity to easily access historical sources and to explain, connect, and establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the historical sources, dynamics, perspectives, trajectories, historians' common and differentiating basic structures between the periods.
The symposium is planned to cover the periods of Ancient Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Ottoman Empire, nation states, 20th and 21st centuries. The two-day symposium aims to bring together different sources on Balkan historiography and to unite different narratives of this geography. In the symposium, from the archives of states to the private sphere of travelogues, how the Balkan geography was received and then transferred to the present day will be discussed, and the problematic issues of Balkan historiography will be brought to the agenda.
The program, which will take place between September 30-October 1, 2022, will be led by the Academic Studies Association (ILEM), with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), with the contributions of Fettah Efendi Association, YTU Balkan and Black Sea Studies Center (BALKAR), Sarajevo University Center for Historical Studies, Ankara University Faculty of Language, History and Geography, and Istanbul University Center for South East European Studies.
The symposium, which will take place at ILEM Terrace Hall, is open to the participation of all interested parties.
