PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

National identity has often been referenced as a culprit in ongoing struggles for rights and freedoms since the inception of modern Turkey. In this chapter, we examine the boundaries of Turkish national identity and the way it has been used in order to consolidate different groups into one. We do so by relying on relevant constructs within social psychology, such as the recognition and nonrecognition of identity and the common ingroup identity model, to shape our argument, while also addressing the historical and sociological background of Turkish identity. We then explore examples from contemporary social psychological research on identity in Kurdish and Alevi groups—groups who are not officially recognized as minorities but who make up the largest minority populations in the country. Our aim is to discuss particular contextual factors of identification, the important antecedents and consequences of that identification, and important points for the study of identity in Turkey.