Representing Turks in Greek Children's and Young Adult Fiction

Abstract

What do Greek children learn about the Turk-Other from children's literature, and how does this image of the enemy inform their national Self? Has the representation of the Turk-Other remained static or do recent publications demonstrate a change in its portrayal? This article explores such questions in the context of contemporary Greek texts for children and young adults. The image of the Turk-soldier has been and remains overwhelmingly negative. The Turk who represents the Ottoman Empire is the vicious victimiser and ruthless conqueror. The Turk-friend, however, features a more complex conglomeration of attributes, some degrading and others elevating. Fictional histories, that is narratives with a strong inclination towards historical accuracy, are less favourable to the Turk-Other, aiming to preserve a homogenised version of the nation and to justify the deeds of war heroes. These observations persist throughout the twentieth century and do not deviate from the patterns found in adult literature. Nonetheless, in more recent publications the image of the Turk-Other is slightly more positive due to two related factors: the foregrounding of the weaknesses of the national Self and the problematising of the historical representation. By juxtaposing negative portrayals of both Turkish and Greek behaviours and by questioning historical truisms, the image of the Turk is being re-humanised.