From: dbd@urartu.sdpa.org (David Davidian)
Subject: Just Curiosity
Organization: S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 21:35:37 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.222231.25923@news.columbia.edu> vd8@cunixa.cc.columbia.
edu (Vedat  Dogan) asked:

[VD]  since 'your turkish just improved' (didn't I tell you that you were
[VD]  amazing!!),let's continue in turkish... 
[VD]  
[VD]  don't worry.. it was just a test..
[VD]  
[VD]  now, who is mr.taner akcam ?...
[VD] 
[VD]  This reminds me a name from the years before 1980 :-)..Say, a name from
[VD]  revolutionary-path...
[VD] 
[VD]  It seems to me that this guy had already left the business in revolution  
[VD]  and found the new occupations in non-revolutionary field to play with..
[VD]  As if all problems of the world's and turkiye's proleteriats had been 
[VD]  solved, he begun dealing with 'the 78 years-old unsolved problems'
[VD]  related to the nationalistic issues.. what a revolutinary action !!!..
[VD]  this might be a part of 'his continuous revolution' :-)...    
[VD]  
[VD]   what do you think?..
[VD] 
[VD]   tell us, mr.davidian, who mr.taner akcam is..
[VD]   and what makes him a source and an author on this matter...
[VD]  
[VD]   just curiosity...

So what if Akcam was from the "revolutionary" left? Does that categorize what
he writes as junk? [By the way, I do not have his book yet.] I would think what
he writes should stand the test given other writers on the subject. 

However, if Akcam is among those on the Turkish left (I recall one of several
points on the Turkish Communist Party agenda, circa 1980) that simply adds the
genocide of the Armenians on a list with other items to be used as anti-Turkish 
government bait, I might agree with you, but cannot until I read what Akcam
has to say. If Akcam is simply using the tragedy of the Armenians at the hands
of the Turkish government as a way of staying anti-government, again I may
agree with you, for justice is not being served. I assume your thoughts are
along these lines.

Please note, I didn't quote from others who may have quoted Akcam's book. If I 
did, I would be as guilty as others who quote text totally out of context. I
prefer to pass judgement on the text after I see it.
 
If you are disqualifying him before reading his text, then you are in the same
category as Mr. Ozguven, [1] dismissing him because he is/was Marxist. I have 
neither qualified nor disqualified Akcam, however, you must admit the title
is quite interesting.

[----------

On a different issue: Do you think the death of Mumcu was engineered to cause
a spontaneous public backlash against the growing Islamic fundamentalist 
movement in Turkey?

---------]
				- - - note - - -
 
[1] I am still waiting for a response from on his libelous statement regarding
    "the blood your organization continues to spill".

 
-- 
David Davidian <dbd@urartu.sdpa.org>  | "Who, after all, speaks today of the 
S.D.P.A. Center for Regional Studies  |  annihilation of the Armenians?" 
P.O. Box 382761                       |         -Adolf Hitler, August 25, 1939
Cambridge, MA 02238                   |          from: Nuremberg Document L-3 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish