Worqs often said, “Slaves do not know (bilmez) history”, and, “Even if they know, they
cannot tell (anlatamaz)”. To be treated as a knowledgeable person, one did not require a great
capacity for retaining “static memories” (hafıza) of already-settled historical facts. One was
expected rather to demonstrate the ability to “understand” (anlamak) a situation thematically and
to produce persuasive stories in accordance with a cultural framework, within which meanings
could be generated. In “narrating” (anlatmak) these stories, one needed to “make others
understand” (anlatmak), i.e. persuade them to accept that one’s argument carried the authority to
silence opposing voices.00