Now that the year is ending, not academically but quite literally, it is appropriate to reflect on some of my takeaways from Turkish 2241, which has advanced my cultural awareness of a country that has a deep connection to my Turkish lineage.
To begin, I would like to consider my gained awareness of some of the contemporary issues that the country faces, as they are the most pressing. Prior to the class, I did not have enough of the initiative to stay up to date on many of the current news coming out of Turkey, and relating to Turkey. First and foremost, it was slightly concerning to hear about the immigration problem that Syrian people are facing, as it has completely ostracized those that are attempting to pass through Turkey into Bulgaria almost as criminals. Furthermore, on the southern border of Turkey (with Syria) there is the terrible fighting with the Syria-based Kurdish forces that were instrumental in the fight against ISIS (in cooperation with the United States). However, this is not necessarily surprising, as Turkey has had a firm negative stance towards the Kurdish people for almost 100 years now. Finally, it will be interesting to see the political landscape of Turkey in the upcoming years, as the increasingly contentious standing of President Erdogan and the AK party may become too much for the country to allow without some resolutions.
Next, speaking of people that were important to the country of Turkey, I had never heard of Mustafa Kemal, Ataturk, before beginning the class, even though my parents and grandparents are Turkish. To my shock, the formal nationhood of Turkey began in 1923, and it was headed by Ataturk, who actually had a very different approach to the direction of the country than I knew Turkey to be in the past. I had at least previously known that Turkey is a primarily Muslim country and that there are certain semblances of the past Ottoman history that are retained to today. As such, it was surprising to learn that Ataturk was the person who radically secularized the country during the early 1900s, in an attempt to make Turkey catch up to the seemingly technological and societally advanced nations of the West. During this time, he would revolutionize the alphabet, take hints of religion out of the public (headscarf banned during his “rule”), and make massive government and lifestyle changes more akin to Western society.
To continue, I would like to talk about some of the Cold War era knowledge that I gained that was relevant to Turkey and the surrounding countries, as it is something that I have heard from my parents. Supplemented by the reading of Kapka Kassabova’s “Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe”, I was able to learn of the historical significance of the Iron Curtain that seemed to loom over Bulgaria and the Bulgarian-Turkish border. During the time, there was an almost obsessive effort to keep people from crossing over to Turkey, and it resulted in an unstable time of ruthless state-sponsored military action, espionage against normal citizens, and general uneasiness in the Bulgarian population.
Next, I would like to discuss those people that have been subjected to the shanty towns that are spread throughout the massively industrializing nation of Turkey. After reading “Berji Kristin: Tales from the Garbage Hills”, which was a genre-defining work by Latife Tekin, I was able to gain a unique perspective of the disparity experienced in Turkey, especially between the richer corporate figures and those that live off the garbage and scraps of society (literally and metaphorically). Historically, and today, there has been a disconnect between the rich/high power position population and the poor/migrant/minority population of Turkey, where there seems to be whole sub-cultures that exist on the humble provisions that people in shantytowns come across through minimal wage work and other opportunities.
Finally, I was able to learn about a somewhat recent occurrence in Turkey, and it was the Gezi Park protests. Although it was an accumulation of tensions against the AK party and their seeming disregard when it came to certain landmarks, environmental concerns, and societal issues, the Gezi Park protests were sparked by the urban development plan to tear down key sections of Gezi Park. It was essentially a modern-day tragedy in a civilized nation, and it marked the recognition of a militant attitude towards an initially peaceful and positively-minded movement. As an important contextual piece, it is crucial to know that during the time there was additional controversy over a third bridge over the Bosporus river, which would further deforest and environmentally harm Turkey, which was drawn in somewhat parallel to the fears of those protesting at the Gezi Park Protests.
To conclude, I would like to briefly recognize three things that I would like to have explored further had the time been there throughout the semester. First, I would like to have expanded upon the Arabesque and Gezi Park Protest music that was highlighted during the music lectures, and taken a broader look at the prevailing genres and any accompanying social movements. Second, even though we briefly discussed the general government scheme and how it has evolved over time, I would have liked to delve deeper into the structure of the government, and the power of certain branches and government-associated organization. Finally, it would have been interesting to investigate some of the economics of Turkey, specifically in its interaction with the global market and management of unemployment and business in the country. However, I found almost everything learned throughout the semester to be useful and interesting, and I look forward to applying some of my new knowledge with my family and potential future trips to Turkey.