How &lt;i&gt;gezhemgen&lt;i/&gt;, the oak manna, has been forgotten in Dersim (Tunceli) in the Upper Euphrates basin: extractive capitalism and local knowledge

Gülkızılca Yürür

doi:10.2458/jpe.2355

Abstract

This study contributes to literature on effects of extractive capitalism on sedentary subsistence herding and loss of traditional knowledge, in this case about a wild edible, oak manna gezhemgen. I present local narratives explaining relationships between oak forests, climatic conditions and agricultural cycle in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Gezhemgen is a sign of a good harvest and signifies power of fertility (being also called the power of Hizir, a deity). Pastoralist practices are affected by intrastate war and appropriation of governance rights to grazing. There is a relationship between accessibility of pastures and vertical transmission of knowledge on flora of highlands to young generations. Narratives were gathered during ethnographic fieldwork between 2011-2017 in Pulumur, Ovacik, Nazimiye and Kalan districts of Dersim. The food gathering behaviors of local populations are also influenced by urbanization, military violence and expropriation of use rights on common grazing grounds. The article reveals multiple effects of transitions from customary systems of sedentary pastoralism to commercialized modes of agricultural production.

Highlights

Intrastate wars are responsible for the devastation of habitats and increased social injustices (Garbarino & Kostelny 1996; Smith 1997)
I focus on the effects of widespread conflict on the gathering of wild edible manna or honeydew from oak trees (Quercus spp.) in Dersim in Eastern Anatolia
The accounts of elderly residents about the gathering of oak manna provides a glimpse into the fabric of social memory by addressing places, cycles, objects and the "banal temporalities" of food production (Ange and Berliner 2014, 2) within an economy that was largely self-sufficient up until the early 1950s

Summary

Introduction

Intrastate wars are responsible for the devastation of habitats and increased social injustices (Garbarino & Kostelny 1996; Smith 1997). The accounts of elderly residents about the gathering of oak manna provides a glimpse into the fabric of social memory by addressing places, cycles, objects and the "banal temporalities" of food production (Ange and Berliner 2014, 2) within an economy that was largely self-sufficient up until the early 1950s. This is when integration into the Turkish economy began, driven by the neoliberal values of a 1948 Marshall Plan signed with the USA

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion