A huge wave of migration followed the widespread violence that affected south-eastern Turkey in the 1990s. Syrian Christians, of various religious denominations, were one of the most representative groups migrating to European countries. Security-related issues were the major reasons for their decision to leave their homeland. All Catholic Chaldean families from Hassana village (district of Silopi, within Şırnak city-region) migrated to Mechelen (within the Belgium Flemish region of Flanders). The villagers belonged to one of the few Eastern Anatolian Christian group’s masters of a traditional hand-made textile. The weaving of the so-called şal şapik was widely known and appreciated well beyond the district of Silopi. It represented their main economic resource. Once in Belgium, they worked hard to keep their mastery alive, but in vain. In the meantime, the mastery disappeared even in their homeland, and the village of Hassana was abandoned, completely deserted. In early 2008, however, some villagers began speaking of a return to Hassana. Through their trans-national networks and the support of their religious authorities, they are presently engaged in projects to rebuild their homes and revive their old mastery. Based on interviews and participant observation conducted in Belgium and Turkey from March 2009 to March 2010, this article aims to explore the attitudes of Christian communities toward security-related issues in the South Eastern Anatolian peninsula scenario and, specifically, to evaluate changes in Chaldean migratory patterns by reference to safety and reliability in a changing environment.
The Trans-National Journey of a Textile Art, from Hassana to Mechelen and Its Return
MOLLICA, MARCELLO
2010-01-01
Abstract
A huge wave of migration followed the widespread violence that affected south-eastern Turkey in the 1990s. Syrian Christians, of various religious denominations, were one of the most representative groups migrating to European countries. Security-related issues were the major reasons for their decision to leave their homeland. All Catholic Chaldean families from Hassana village (district of Silopi, within Şırnak city-region) migrated to Mechelen (within the Belgium Flemish region of Flanders). The villagers belonged to one of the few Eastern Anatolian Christian group’s masters of a traditional hand-made textile. The weaving of the so-called şal şapik was widely known and appreciated well beyond the district of Silopi. It represented their main economic resource. Once in Belgium, they worked hard to keep their mastery alive, but in vain. In the meantime, the mastery disappeared even in their homeland, and the village of Hassana was abandoned, completely deserted. In early 2008, however, some villagers began speaking of a return to Hassana. Through their trans-national networks and the support of their religious authorities, they are presently engaged in projects to rebuild their homes and revive their old mastery. Based on interviews and participant observation conducted in Belgium and Turkey from March 2009 to March 2010, this article aims to explore the attitudes of Christian communities toward security-related issues in the South Eastern Anatolian peninsula scenario and, specifically, to evaluate changes in Chaldean migratory patterns by reference to safety and reliability in a changing environment.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
