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Programme: accepted abstracts

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Abstract ID: 1089

Part of General Paper Session (Other abstracts in this session)

Language Policy in Nicosia-Cyprus, the Last Divided Capital of Europe: Removing political barriers, creating spaces for peace through mother tongue + 2 Policy

Authors: GUNEY, Afet
Submitted by: GUNEY, Afet (University of EXETER, United Kingdom)

 

Abstract

 This paper explores the influence of socio-political changes on and their implications for the language policies in Cyprus. The island of Cyprus has an interesting socio-political context in that social changes have always been influential in determining its ‘future’, that changing in the shade of unresolved ‘Cyprus Problem’ or  ‘a political cliché’.  Startingin the Colonial period, and developed in 1950s with Archbishop Makarios’ (the Greek Cypriot leader) desire for attachment with Greece, ethnic conflict issues became aggravated with Turkey’s ‘intervention’, or in Greek Cypriots’ words, their ‘invasion’ of the island, in 1974. The de facto division of the island in 1974, however, created a barrier between the two communities with the result that the shared culture and social interaction were divided(Kizilyurek and Kizilyurek, 2004). 

 

The country entered in EU in 2004 (Jones, 2006, p. 17). There are very few bi-communal activities that provide a common space to students for interaction. Therefore, Jones (2006) suggests that there is a need for reconciliation between two communities. As Lederach (1997) explains, reconciliation requires a ‘focus’ (relational aspects of conflict and solution) and a ‘locus’ (the social space where people, ideas and stories are shared). This suggests that the stakeholders of education should take initiative, if there is a desire, to closing the gap between the two societies.

 

The paper focuses on the role of the language and identity in the island and pays particular attention to Greek-Turkish language-in-education policies adopted by the de jure state of the Republic of Cyprus (RC) and de facto state of the Turkish Republic and Northern Cyprus (TRNC) since 2004. Although the ministry of education departments of the two states have made the Greek and Turkish languages available in their curriculums with other European languages, it seems that the Greek and Turkish languages, spoken by the two communities living in the same island, deserve much attention from the governments and adoption of a national policy not only in principle but also in practice. Taking into account the EU and Council of Europe’s ‘pluralingualism’ and ‘mother language plus two’ policies, it is an opportunity to bridge the common aspects of the two cultures, the Greek and Turkish Cypriot, through language, which have been influenced by each other and use teaching of Greek and Turkish beyond their linguistic purposes.

 

References

 

Jones,L. (2006) Reconciliation and Peace Education in Cyprus: A Journal of Social, Economic and Political Issues, 19:1, 17-30.

 

Kizilyürek, N.& S. Gautier- Kizilyürek (2004) ‘The Politics of Identity in the Turlish Cypriot Community and the Language Question’. International Journal of Sociology of Language. 168: pp.37-54.

 

Lederach, J.P. (1997) Building Peace. Sustainable okey Reconciliation in Divided Societies.Washington, DC, United States Institute of Peace Press.