Historical Approach: The Legal Basis for the Recognition of the Thrace Minority in Greece
摘要
This chapter outlines the core tenets of the Greek state’s legal and policy narrative regarding the Muslim minority in Thrace. It examines how this narrative is constructed as a direct, positive fulfilment of the Treaty of Lausanne’s religious minority framework and contemporary European norms. The analysis details the state’s insistence on a religious (Muslim) rather than national (Turkish) minority definition, its portrayal of post-1991 reforms as a modernising project, and its presentation of socio-legal indicators—concerning population, religious facilities, education, property, media, and political participation—as evidence of successful integration. By systematically reconstructing this state-centric narrative of compliance and intercultural coexistence, the article establishes a foundational framework for subsequent critical scholarship to engage with the tensions between this official perspective and the complex realities of minority life in the region.