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to have seen something on the principal racial ideologue of the Young Turk
Revolution in 1908, Ziya Gokalp. It was Gokalp who formulated the theory of
‘Turkishness’ which underpinned the emergent Turkish Republic and shaped
his poisonous theories of racial purity for the emergent Turkey – an identity
which could not encompass the ‘other’, or any form of diversity. I would also
like to have seen something of how the Turkish perception of the genocide (a
word still banned in Turkey in reference to these events) is no longer mono-
lithic, and is changing, especially amongst younger historians, academics, and
writers.

‘Yak. Vur. Oldur.’ (Burn. Demolish. Kill.) These three Ottoman Turkish
words gave the rationale of the state’s murder of over 1 million Armenians in
1915. 100 years on, there are chilling similarities with the ravages of the so
-called Islamic State in its murderous and criminal intentions towards indige-
nous Christians. We do well to recall the events of the genocide. This of course
is un?nished business – the genocide is still not recognised by the UK Gov-
ernment, but is by the Welsh Assembly. There is more political work to be
done, and more historical research needed to uncover the truth. For Armenians
however, the events of 1915 will continue to de?ne their identity, movingly
summarised by Patrick Thomas in this way, ‘… they did not crush the spirit of
this extraordinary people – the oldest Christian nation in the world.’

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