Feedback on Fatma Orhan’s draft of final paper


The topic of your final paper is very interesting and I think it can be beneficial since
sociological and anthropological studies of minority ethnic groups are gaining in importance more
and more. As I understood it from your draft, there are certain conflicts and tensions between the
Nogai people and the Turkish society since they tend to see each other in opposition. Your key
research question concentrates on sociological characteristics of the community, but I think it
might be defined too widely. I would either specify the question or add some more sub-questions.
Since the Nogai people live in multiple countries, I would like to know if the dominant culture (in
this case the Turkish) has affected their culture and how. You mentioned that they live in closed
groups. But is it possible to observe attempts to assimilate or integrate into the Turkish society?
Does the Turkish government guarantee them cultural autonomy (for example regarding their own
schools)? Are the younger generations more prone to integrate into the majority or do they on the
contrary reinforce their authentic identity? These are some issues that crossed my mind and maybe
you would like to write more about them. I would be glad to read your paper and learn more about
Nogai Turks and their way of life.