{"id":7154,"date":"2025-05-26T22:20:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T22:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/dersim-1937-38-oral-history-project-dstp-duisburg-6-12-2024"},"modified":"2026-07-28T18:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T18:40:23","slug":"dersim-1937-38-oral-history-project-dstp-duisburg-6-12-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/dersim-1937-38-oral-history-project-dstp-duisburg-6-12-2024","title":{"rendered":"Dersim 1937-38 Oral History Project (DSTP) Duisburg 6.12.2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dersim 1937-38 Oral History Project (DSTP)<\/h3>\n

The reasons for the need for Dersim organizations in Turkey and Europe were not only the loss of the mother tongue, faith and other cultural values and the endangerment of Dersim's geography. There was another factor that was just as important as these main cultural elements: <\/p>\n

There is a \u201cmilestone\u201d like \u201c1938\u201d and the question of \u201ccoming to terms with\u201d the \u201cethnic and cultural massacre\u201d of a people that took place on this date! For this reason, for the people of Dersim, there are two important events in the last century that come to mind when talking about \u201chistory\u201d and that can be considered historical turning points: <\/p>\n

The first is \u201c1938\u201d, the second is \u201c1994\u201d. These two \u201cmilestones\u201d each represent an important turning point in the existence of the people who have lived in Dersim for centuries and the fundamental cultural elements of this existence... <\/p>\n

This unique and independent Dersim organization, whose institutional name in Turkish is \u201cFederation of Dersim Associations in Europe\u201d, has initiated a historical \u201cacademic-scientific\u201d study in this field, which we will discuss in this chapter.<\/p>\n

This study is an institutional project of the FDG under the name \u201cDersim 1937-38 Oral History Project (DSTP)\u201d. This institution and its work belong to the people of Dersim, and the reason why this project has reached a certain point and has been successful up to a certain point, and there are interviews with more than \u201cthree hundred and eighty\u201d people, is that the people have wholeheartedly embraced this work and contributed to it financially and morally. <\/p>\n

THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT IDEA<\/h3>\n

\u201cInitiatives and activities that formed the basis for this work before the start of the DST project\u201d<\/p>\n

In order for the reader to understand this process in its entirety, we think it is useful at this point to give a brief overview of the work that preceded and followed the Dersim 1937-38 Oral History Project, both before and after the founding of the FDG:<\/p>\n

The most lasting and important result of these efforts is undoubtedly the \u201cDersim 1937-38 Oral History Project\u201d (DSTP), which was launched on August 28, 2009 and completed its first phase in 2012.<\/p>\n

The \u201cfirst\u201d steps of the DSTP<\/h3>\n

The first steps of the DSTP were taken on 12 and 14 September 2008 in Dortmund, Germany. In the meetings, which were attended by members of the FDG, academics and politicians, it was decided to establish a \u201cDersim Documentation and Archive Centre\u201d. <\/p>\n

In mid-2009, Dicle Akar from Dersim presented a concrete project for the \u201cDocumentation and Internationalisation of Dersim Tertelesi\u201d to the Federation of European Dersim Associations (FDG).<\/p>\n

The FDG accepted this project proposal as \u201cfeasible\u201d and officially decided to initiate such a project.<\/p>\n

On 7 June 2009, the urgency of this work was pointed out in the call for proposals for the 4th European Dersim Culture Festival, which also took place in Bonn.<\/p>\n

The first practical step was taken with the opening of a stand under the motto \u201cStretch out your hand before the last witnesses pass away\u201d.<\/p>\n

The process of forming the DSTP committee<\/h3>\n

With the contributions and solidarity of the Dersim Friends, the Dersim and the Alevi communities, the \u201cDSTP Committee\u201d was founded at a meeting on August 28, 2009, which was attended by the FDG-YK, the Audit, Disciplinary and Faith Committee, the leaders of the associations and some personalities.
\nThe DSTP committee was initially established as an \u201cacademic committee\u201d. Filiz Akta\u015f, sociologist Mehmet Y\u0131ld\u0131z and educator Dicle Akar participated in this committee. A short time later, Dicle Akar established a relationship with Prof. Dr. Taner Ak\u00e7am, a world-renowned lecturer in genocide at Clark University, and requested his support.
\nThe process of forming the DSTP Committee
\nIn this way, Mr. Ak\u00e7am was also included in the \u201cAcademic Committee\u201d of the project. <\/p>\n

Prof. Leyla Neyzi from Sabanc\u0131 University and Ya\u015far Kaya, the then chairman of the FDG, joined the committee.<\/p>\n

In \u201cMarch 2010\u201d, Cemal Ta\u015f, in \u201cJune 2010\u201d sociologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. \u015e\u00fckr\u00fc Aslan and lawyer H\u00fcseyin Ayg\u00fcn from Mimar Sinan University joined the DSTP committee and actively participated in the work. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, some people in the DSTP Committee have \u201cdeinstitutionalized the work and put it in a personal dimension\u201d, \u201chave not complied with the rules and transparency in terms of accountability\u201d, the individuals and entities authorised on behalf of the FDG and the DSTP have not fulfilled their responsibilities in a timely manner, and perhaps this negative situation has arisen for other reasons unknown to us.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this project (DSTP), the FDG wants to complete the oral interviews with the contemporary witnesses of 1938 in a first phase and in a second phase make these materials and products available to international researchers...\u201d.
\nDersim 37\/38 Tertelesi oral historical documents were handed over to the Shoah Foundation.<\/p>\n

Agreement with the Shoah Foundation<\/h3>\n

BERLIN - The documents of the oral history project of the European Dersim Association of Associations on Dersim Tertelesi*, which was launched in 2009, were handed over to the USC Shoah Foundation, which maintains archives on massacres and genocides, at a meeting held in Berlin on 17 November. The meeting was also attended by Cem \u00d6zdemir, SPD MP Sevim Ayd\u0131n, Hakan Ta\u015f of the Left Party and the mayor of Berlin Kreuzberg, Clara Hermann. <\/p>\n

The oral history study in question was carried out in collaboration between the Federation of European Dersim Associations and Clark University, and 360 interviews were conducted with survivors of the 1937-38 massacres living in eight different countries.<\/p>\n

OPENING PRIZE CEM \u00d6ZDEM\u0130R HAD: IT IS NOT EASY TO COUNTER SUCH A CRIME <\/h3>\n

The opening speech was given by Cem \u00d6zdemir, Germany's Minister of Agriculture. \u00d6zdemir thanked everyone who participated in this project and said: \"It is not easy to be confronted with such a crime. <\/p>\n

They worked for 15 years and made 360 video recordings both in Turkey and in the diaspora. I appreciate that with all my heart.\u201c\u00d6zdemir also thanked Hasan Salt\u0131k, who made an important contribution to the work:\u201d For the book Dersim Tertelesi, he spent 10 years researching, evaluating archives, collecting photos and reading the reports of eyewitnesses.<\/p>\n

\u00d6zdemir continued in his speech: \"In 2005 I was personally in Dersim. I have seen the impressive wealth of this region. mountains and rivers such as Munzur, F\u0131rat, K\u0131z\u0131l\u0131rmak; Languages such as Kurman\u00e7i, Zaza, Turkish, Armenian; Religions and beliefs such as Alevis, Sunnis, Christianity. <\/p>\n

But the history of suffering and state oppression in Dersim is just as long. If we fight for an open and democratic society, for a future without pogroms, massacres and genocides, we need an energetic civil society. The European Dersim Association and the USC Shoah Foundation are excellent examples of this.\" <\/p>\n

KARABULUT: A TURNING POINT FOR DEMOCRACY<\/h3>\n

Kemal Karabulut, the 2nd President of the Federation of European Dersim Associations, explained in his speech that the children of those who witnessed the Dersim massacre had grown up in a devastating silence for years.<\/p>\n

\"Despite the indescribable pain, we will not seek blood and revenge.\" The demands of the people of Dersim are modest, rational and easy to meet,\" Karabulut said, adding: \"Instead of dealing with Dersim Tertelesi with a simple approach such as assessing from the perspective of a particular political ideology, this is the case.\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt's about feeling responsible.\u201d \u201cThe ceremonial handover of these oral meeting minutes to the SHOAH FOUNDATION, the world's largest visual archive, can also be seen as a turning point in the history of democracy in Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOW DID WE GET TO THIS STAGE?<\/h3>\n

Dicle Akar and Hasan Dursun, spokespersons for the Dersim Tertelesi Oral History Project, stated that for the study, which they initiated as children and grandchildren of the victims of the massacre for two years, up to 700 hours of recording were made with 350 victims in 8 different countries after the massacre of 1938 <\/p>\n

In addition to many volunteers, Prof. Dr. Taner Ak\u00e7am, Prof. Deborah Dwork, Prof. Martin van Bruinessen, Prof. They announced that the Scientific Advisory Board, consisting of Hans Lukas Kieser and Karen Jungblut, had pledged their support.<\/p>\n

SHOAH FOUNDATION COLLECTS MASSACRE AND GENOCIDE DOCUMENTS<\/h3>\n

The deputy director of the USC Shoah Foundation, Dr., attended the meeting. Kori Street began her speech by saying, \u201cI am honored and pleased to announce to the public today the partnership between the USC Shoah Foundation and the Federation of European Dersim Associations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Citing that the foundation was established in 1994 after the production of the film \u201cSindler's List,\u201d Dr. K. Street said that the foundation was established to record the accounts of survivors and witnesses of the genocide, preserve them forever, and keep those memories alive through education and research.<\/p>\n

Dr. said that he was honored to receive the interviews provided by the Dersim Federation to the USC Shoah Foundation. \u201cThese compelling testimonies, along with 55,000 other witness interviews, will be preserved, digitized and indexed in our visual history archive to make them accessible worldwide,\u201d Street said. <\/p>\n

WHAT IS TERTELE?<\/h3>\n

Just as the people of Dersim define the natural disaster, the earthquake, as an \u201cearthquake\u201d, they also define the massacre of 1937\/38, i.e. the social catastrophe they experienced, as \u201ctertele\u201d.<\/p>\n

While Tertele was long defined as a massacre\/massacre, Dersim institutions, especially the FDG (European Dersim Federation), were content with this definition of genocide and conceptualized it as \u201cTertele\u201d.<\/p>\n

Evaluation of the event<\/h3>\n

\u2022 \u201cDersim 1937\u20131938: Oral History Project\u201d on 06.12.2024 in Duisburg
\n\u2022 As part of the Kiriv 4.0 project of the BDAJ-NRW e.V., a joint information event took place on 6 December 2024 with the Dersim Gemeinde Westfalia e.V. and the Zentrum f\u00fcr Kultur Hochfeld (SGDV e.V.). The event was held in the premises of the Suryoye Ruhrgebiet e.V., which were rented for the occasion and designed with the support of the association.
\n\u2022 The central theme of the evening was \u201cDersim 1937\u20131938: Oral History Project- DSTP\u201d. Mr. Ismail Y\u00fcceer from the Federation of Dersim Communities (FDG) was invited as a speaker. The event began shortly after 6 p.m. with a lecture by the speaker. First, Mr. Y\u00fcceer gave a chronological overview of the Dersim genocide from 1926 onwards. He presented chronological information on the events in Dersim and highlighted the reports that were written after the founding of the Republic of Turkey. He then explained the activities of the Federation of Dersim Communities in Europe (FDG), which pave the way for the Dersim Trauma Project (DSTP) and contribute significantly to it.
\n\u2022 In the further course of the evening, he devoted himself in detail to the actual topic of the evening: the oral history project \u201cDersim 1937\u20131938\u201d. The event met with great interest. More than 40 participants listened attentively to the lecture and then took the opportunity to ask the speaker numerous questions. The lively discussions underlined the relevance of the topic and the broad interest in the historical reappraisal of these events. The active participation of many young participants was particularly pleasing. A young political scientist from the Demenan tribe, for example, called for the start of the second phase of the oral history project, as he knew many contemporary witnesses in his environment who could provide valuable reports on the genocide in Dersim.
\n\u2022 The evening ended with an open exchange that offered space for reflection and further discussions. This event made an important contribution to the culture of remembrance and promoted intergenerational dialogue. We hope that the Federation of Dersim Municipalities in Europe and the Dersim Municipality of Westfalia will be able to work together again in the future with the Kiriv \u201cKiriv 5.0\u201d project.
\n\u2022 We would like to thank all participants and organizations who supported us.
\n\u2022 Dersim Gemeinde Westfalia e.V.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8421,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7154\/revisions\/8421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dersim-fdg.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}