Public Perceptions of ‘the Other’s’ Heritage: Ottoman Heritage in Greece and Byzantine Heritage in Turkey

The relationship between cultural heritage and identity has long been acknowledged. Due to this relevance, utilizing past and its material remains for political purposes has been a common practice for the states; a phenomenon that has its roots in antiquity and is still actively used. Modern states have been active agents in this process by defining what constitutes their ‘national identity’ and ‘national heritage’. This selection brings together the exclusion of the pasts and their remains that are ’dissonant’ with the national historiography, thus resulting in the deliberate and non-deliberate destruction of ‘the Other’s’ heritage. Due to their attachment to public memory, historical monuments are the most affected subjects of this process. This study investigates the historical and contemporary effects of ‘exclusion’ of cultural heritage from the national narratives by focusing on the Ottoman heritage in Greece and the Byzantine heritage in Turkey. The research focuses on the two particular aspects of ‘public’: the state and the people. It critically analyses cultural heritage laws in Greece and Turkey and the states’ contemporary cultural policies with regards to ‘the Other’s’ heritage. People’s perceptions of heritage are investigated through public opinion surveys conducted in two case studies from the two countries. The research deals with a topical subject, ‘heritage and identity’, which is of high relevance to contemporary societies and the heritage literature. Its originality lies in its scope, ‘the Other’s’ heritages in Greece and Turkey, and the novel results it produces. In summary, the research shows that people’s and states' perceptions of ‘the Other’s’ heritage are interrelated and mostly governed by the states’ policies. The inclusion of the Ottoman heritage in the cultural heritage management in Greece has positively influenced the people’s perceptions. In Turkey, the ‘otherness’ of the Byzantine heritage is still felt by the people, but the potential benefits of their utilization enhance their protection by the public.