A Sociological Research on Pomaks: The Case of Kırklareli

Author/s:

Year: 2019 Vol: 1 Number: 2

Abstract

This study has been carried out in order to understand and explain the cultural patterns of Pomaks living in the city of Kırklareli. Also examines Pomaks’ process of immigration to Turkey with the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and provides general information on Pomaks and Kırklareli. The functionality of their social establishments, which are component parts of Pomaks’ sociocultural structure, such as family, solidarity networks, work patterns, religion, various beliefs and practices, social ceremonies and rituals, food culture, and language, have been examined, analyzing the mutual interactions of these establishments and the variations that they have experienced from past to present. This research, which has been performed to understand Pomaks’ general characteristics and to determine the tools and methods through which cultural transmission is performed, is a situation determination study. This research examining Pomaks’ culture has been conducted using the qualitative research method and in-depth interview technique. Indepth interviews with 30 people have been conducted during the fieldwork at the Pomak villages and town centers that are subsidiary to Kırklareli. I attempt to explain Pomaks’ sociocultural structures by evaluating the data obtained from the field research.

Keywords
cultural structure, Kirklareli, Pomaks, sociocultural structure

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