Neo- or Post-Ottoman? Rethinking Turkey’s Presence in the Balkans Through the “Children of the Conquerors”
Neo- or Post-Ottoman? Rethinking Turkey’s Presence in the Balkans Through the “Children of the Conquerors”

Summary/Abstract: This essay discusses the analytical utility of “neo-Ottomanism” by tracing the historical roots of Turkish influence in the Balkans. Drawing on archival sources, it explores the evolving meaning of evlad-ı fatihan (children of the conquerors), which was once a term of descent and has now become a strategic discourse in kin-state policy. I argue that Turkey’s engagement in the Balkans is not a recent phenomenon but a pragmatic continuum of Cold War-era frameworks, exemplified not only by post-imperial migrations but also by the creation of specific public institutions. I suggest that frameworks dating back to the 1950s predate today’s cultural diplomacy and investment strategies. In this context, “neo- Ottomanism” may be better understood not as a rupture but as an adaptation to evolving geopolitical contexts.

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