In the Hands of Fate…

Mixed Marriages in Istanbul’s Greek, Jewish and Armenian communities is an effort to examine fully of a subject that is little mentioned in Turkish academic literature. As the work of Anna Maria Beylunioğlu and Özgür Kaymak’s experience and extensive research in “minority societies,” this study traces the issues created by the political and public encounters of these groups both within themselves and with the majority in society, while also revealing how the experience of womanhood is shared. Implemented strategically by “minority societies” in the public space/sphere, mixed marriages emerge as private sphere practices where new areas of struggle and commonalities are built, as erasing/covering up the signs of their ethno-religious identities is not possible within the institution of family and marriage.

Based on a detailed reading of the interviews conducted with 57 respondents from different age groups, ethnicities and beliefs: “Kismet Of Course…” presents a vivid picture of how mixed marriages have shaped/transformed the individual, community and daily conflicts since the 1980s, when “minority societies” began to open up. The book brings together the following chapters: “I Have a Hump on My Back,” A View on Mixed Marriages, Experiences, and Intergenerational Transformation / “He said ‘I fell in love with you.’ And we built this relationship”: Meeting Stories and How Mixed Marriages Happen / “He says, ‘Is it your candle burning holiday?’; he learns to keep up with me somehow”: The Culture of Living Together / “Will the lady accept to become a Christian?”: Conversion as a Marriage Strategy / “I close my eyes in marriage, I do my duty!”: Additional Notes on Gender Patterns in Non-Muslim Families.