February 22, 2024 - Əlirza Quluncu (Alirza Quluncu)
Sociologist and language activist Vahid Qarabagli stated in an interview with Voice of America on International Mother Language Day that the Iranian state is trying to keep the Turkish language at a local level.
 |
A poster was displayed at one of the Tractor football club's games in Tehran. It reads, "Open schools for Turkish education." |
Qarabagli also says that the Turkish language is central to the civil struggle in Iranian Azerbaijan.
"The civil movement in Southern Azerbaijan and the movement of Turks place language at the center. Because they feel that the Turkish community and the Azerbaijan region are subjected to a form of discrimination through language."
Qarabagli draws attention to the efforts of many writers and intellectuals in Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran over the past 45 years to promote the Turkish language through publications:
"For example, after the 1979 Revolution, the Varlıq magazine, created by intellectuals such as Dr. Heyet and Dr. Nutqi, engaged in activities related to the Turkish language and literature. The leaders of this movement united around the Turkish language. Later, students also published Turkish magazines and demanded education in Turkish, advocating for the official recognition of Turkish in Iran. Slogans like 'There should be Turkish language schools for everyone' and 'Turkish should be official' are also voiced in stadiums."
Vahid Qarabagli argues that the language issue in Iranian Azerbaijan is a matter of status. He says, "In Iran, the Turkish issue is a matter of status. With the emergence of the modern Iranian state and the establishment of public education and the press in the early 20th century, the Iranian state attempted to establish its authority throughout the country, and one way in which it attempted to do so was through language... They denigrated and denied Turkish in Iran. They said that these people don't speak Turkish; if they do, they are speaking "Azeri," which has Persian roots and has become Turkified throughout history. Thus, the Turkish language was marginalized in state institutions and cultural fields."
The sociologist highlights that the discrimination applied through language also manifests in other areas of life.
He states, "There are different narratives and discourses regarding the Turkish issue within the civil movement of Turks in Iran. There is a discourse of rights and a discourse of status. However, the status lens makes understanding its political, social, economic, and historical dimensions possible. Because different power relations have been created through language in Iran, Turks are relegated to second-class citizen status through language."
Vahid Qarabagli adds, "The Iranian government's attempt to control Turkish actually shows that the government sees this issue as a matter of status. The Iranian government wants to keep Turkish at a local level. Just as the government does not provide opportunities for Turkish students in schools, it does not allow its development and use at the national level. It tries to limit its contact with Turkish on other sides of the border and within neighboring countries such as Azerbaijan and Türkiye, and seeks to limit any grassroots efforts that seek to build these linguistic bridges and exchanges which could benefit from language resources and opportunities available there. It sees Turkish as a threat."