Friday, September 17, 2010
Cypriot Identity
A recent article in the Cyprus Mail (the daily newspaper) gave statistics about young Cypriots, including what region they associate themselves with. To summarize, a relatively small percentage of both Turkish- and Greek- speaking Cypriots consider themselves either European or Middle Eastern. However, a strong majority consider themselves to be “Mediterranean”. Cyprus and its people have a unique identity which is hard to define because it has been influenced by the diverse cultures that have ruled it and that surround it today. Despite the fact that there is a buffer zone that physically (and often emotionally) divides the Turkish- and Greek- speaking communities, there are thousands of years of history on this island that unite them.
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This article was very interesting. Made me wonder are all of the Universities attended by both Greek and Turkish Cypriot students? Are there Universities in both sections of Cyprus? Where do these students meet to interact and is it common practice to ask of one's background ?
ReplyDeleteor, assuming the student is speaking english, would asking where one lives be like asking if one was a Greek or Turkish Cypriot?
There are universities on each side of the Buffer Zone. In the Greek-speaking community the main university is the University of Cyprus which teaches in Greek. However there are many other private schools that teach in English and there are a few Turkish Cypriot students that attend. I cannot be sure about universities in the Turkish-speaking community, although I know there are numerous universities in the region... However, because they are in an unrecognized "nation", I don't think someone would go out of there way to attend school there.
ReplyDeleteI assume that the interactions between many of the students is most common during bi-communal events put on by various organizations or while spending time across the Buffer Zone from where they live (coffee or a social event or something). I am not sure how an initial introduction is made, however, or how they would approach the topic.