gotta go there..

I've been enjoying the conversations Ezgi and I are having.  We are both in a place of stepping into our own authority, and thus into adulthood, trying to bridge cultures and integrate our "San Francisco self" and what we have learned at CIIS with the realities and needs of the greater world.  

Also, Turkey's history, its politics, and its collective psyche has been a recurrent topic.  That's because we get inspired - or should I say "triggered"? - every time we see the portrait of Atatürk... which is virtually everywhere: apartment lobbies, stores, offices, etc.  Why?  Because he is considered the father of the republic.  And also, because it is the law that his portray should be in public offices.

Mustafa Kemal "Atatürk" greets us every time we come home.

Atatürk became the first president of the Republic of Turkey after having led the Turkish National Movement during the War of Independence (1923).  The Allies had defeated the Ottoman Empire and were now occupying its two most important cities, meanwhile talking their ways towards some sort of treaty arrangements.  But Atatürk rallied the people and eventually had himself elected as the head of the "Grand National Assembly", or Turkish Parliament - even though there was no actual republic yet!  For a time then, there was actually a diarchy (dual rulership) situation, and somehow, after some more warring against Greeks and Armenians, etc., the Nationalists obtained their sovereignty.

This is a simplistic summary.  I only wanted to give a bit of background so we could situate ourselves, as I'd like to muse over the concept and intricacies of Turkish nationalism.

(Oh nationalism! Always a lively topic! Always nuanced and multi-faceted!)

But first I would like to mention a significant event in the history of this nation.

Beautiful twisted crucifix sculpture!
St-Anthony's Catholic church, Taksim.

During my undergraduate studies at the University of Maine, I wrote a research paper about the Armenian genocide which was perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.  Never heard of it?  Perhaps it's because the Republic of Turkey has refused to acknowledge the 1.3 million deaths as such.  They prefer to use the terms "mass deportation, or ... relocation".  But look into it... it would seem that German Nazis didn't invent gas chambers and extermination camps. 

This was one of the few things I knew about Turkey before coming here, so I was curious to see how the subject might be treated here.

Let's just say that I haven't heard of any memorial in Istanbul.  Let's just say that instead I'm told I shouldn't talk too overtly about politics.  Specifically, I'm told that I shouldn't question the legacy of Atatürk.  

He brought the gift of secular modernism to the people of Turkey; and without him there would be no freedom.

At least that's what a lot of people allegedly believe, and that is on both the "right" and the "left" side of the political spectrum.

I must say here: I don't like that spectrum.  

Pera Museum...

Anyway, the problem with nationalism is that it so easily gets misdirected.  It works alright when you come from the victims perspective.  It's legitimate maybe.  But when you get in a position of power, nationalism gets scary...

And so I'm learning about the situation and the treatment of ethnic minorities in Istanbul, and in Turkey at large.  The Kurdish people is the largest minority group in the country, yet their language, their music, their traditions have been banned in this country for years... all in the name of nationalism, of a common language for one nation-state... the gift of modernity.  The Kurdish people are also fighting for recognition in Iraq, Syria, and Iran...

Don't get me wrong: there is A LOT to celebrate about the Ottomans:

ceramics and mosaics, calligraphy and silks...

architecture and music...

Thank Allah!

This is all so interesting to me, as a Québécoise.

It makes me feel impatient to come back home and assess the situation there.  With so many immigrants and so many social debates, I can already imagine how much fun I'll have!

:)

Contemporary Turkish street art :)