Turkish Tradition Research Articles

Metamorphosis from Behind the Bars: Selahattin Demirtaş’s Leylan

ABSTRACT This article examines the Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş’s prison novel Leylan (2019) in relation to the Turkish tradition of Künstlerroman, which dates back to the late nineteenth century. Through a reading of the figure of the writer manqué, it argues that Demirtaş occupies an unprecedented place in having staged the writer manqué as a subaltern autodidact rather than as a troubled intellectual, in uniting the political and the transcendental, and in affirming the potential hidden in incomplete texts and lives.

Ziya Şakir’in Tarihî Tefrikalarından Avar Oğlu’nda Türk Âdet ve İnançları

Ziya Şakir is a well-known author for his works published in newspapers and magazines. The author, known as Ziya Şakir during the Ottoman period, took the surname “Soko” with the Surname Law enacted during the Republican period. He also used nicknames such as Z. Melek, Hüseyin Servet, Bahtiyar, M. Ziya, Emekligil, Hamid Nuri, Abdülmüheymin. In his works, in which he included historical realities, he met with people who witnessed events other than memoirs or documents, and assumed the duty of “oral historiography” by recording the memories described verbally. Avar Oğlu that is published in Yarım Ay magazine in 1935 is one of author’s works where he brought a historical truth together with fiction. The work, which deals with the Avars that were the first Turks sieging Istanbul, has a narrative style that prioritizes Turkish tradition and morality over other nations. The work, which includes taboos, Shamanist beliefs, rowing bone fortune telling, which is one of the types of fortune telling, and beliefs that numbers are sacred, brings together the values transferred from the past to the present with the reader. In this study, it was investigated how the author, who started from a historical reality and emphasized the importance of the Avars on the stage of history, conveyed Turkish customs and beliefs in Avar Oğlu. As a result of the examination, it was determined that Ziya Şakir used the spiritual values that built bridges between generations to highlight the character traits of the Turks. Keywords: Ziya Şakir, Avars, siege of İstanbul, Turkish beliefs, history.

A Turkish Tradition Published in Le Petit Journal: Fig Feast in Izmir

A Turkish Tradition Published in Le Petit Journal: Fig Feast in Izmir

PROBLEM NACIONALNOG OPREDJELJENJA BOSANSKOHERCEGOVAČKIH MUSLIMANA 1945–1954: IZMEĐU POLITIKE KPJ/SKJ I OSJEĆAJA PRIPADNOSTI „TURSKOJ VJERI“

Although the CPY advocated the existence and equality of the three peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the liberation and revolutionary struggles, at the end of the Second World War a change of political course on the status of Muslims and a renunciation of the affirmation of their national identity followed. Despite the fact that the “people’s government” took a position on the “free” national expression of the Bosnian population of the Islamic religion, the political circumstances and relations established after the liberation, to some extent, guided the national “evolutionary path” of Muslims. Serbs were the main force of the national liberation struggle, so after the war they were considered the most reliable element of the new state and order, which encouraged the communists of the Islamic faith to identify with the nation of the informal war victor and the leading people in power in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The result was that the predominant number of the leadership and the Muslim party membership accepted the Serbian national name, which profiled the further policy of the CPY towards this Slavic people. However, contrary to the national orientation of the Muslim party membership and the political affinities and efforts of the CPY, the Muslim masses did not accept the Serbian, and especially the Croatian national nomination, but “kept” their ethnic identity, declaring themselves undecided. This generated a paradoxical situation and political contrast, which was one of the complicating factors of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Poorly developed national consciousness, faced in the past with different orientations of their own intelligentsia, the Bosnian Muslim masses found themselves in a “gap” between the unprincipled policy of the CPY towards their position and national nomination, and the legacy of the Turkish tradition with which they identified. They often called themselves Turks, implying affiliation with the Islamic faith, and such tendencies persisted until the second half of the twentieth century. The communists suppressed the use of the Turkish name to denote local Muslims, and allowed and promoted the expression of negative attitudes towards the Ottoman imperial past, for which there were two reasons. Such an appointment clashed with the current policy of shaping the national “evolutionary path” of Muslims and the fight against the “backward influence of religion”, because the Turkish nomination meant the equivalent of belonging to the Islamic faith. Considering that Islam was a basic element of identity and social being for Bosnian Muslims, such a policy of the Party was also a significant factor in complicating political relations in the republic.

Speculative Fiction Studies in Turkey: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract Contemporary scholarship on speculative fiction has increased in Europe and the United States substantially in recent years. An upsurge in the number of speculative literary works and cinematic adaptations has played an instrumental role in this growing interest. Turkish writers have also joined this trend since they are now writing more speculative fiction. The aim of this study is therefore to present an overview of speculative fiction studies in Turkey and to introduce speculative fiction in Turkish literature from the second part of the nineteenth century until the present day. Such a projection will acquaint scholars with scholarship on speculative fiction and relevant literary production in Turkey. This critical survey hopes to pique international scholarly curiosity about the Turkish tradition of speculative fiction and to inspire a revitalization of relevant scholarship in Turkey.

Eskişehir in İlinde İnanç Turizmi Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme: Odunpazarı Örneği

Values from the past to the present, some practices and beliefs constitute the spiritual-cultural values of communities and individuals in societies. Among these values, which have existed in the Turkish tradition for centuries, shrines have a very important share. In this study, it was aimed to determine the contribution of entombed saints and shrines located in Odunpazari region to Eskisehir tourism. All the tourists visiting the shrines in the district of Odunpazari constitute the population of the research. In this direction, the research survey was administered to 350 tourists to gather data. It was found with this study that most of the tourists who visit Eskisehir want to revisit the city. Besides, the fact that the level of satisfaction with their visit to the shrines is quite high, that about half of them make a daily visit and contribute to the economy of Eskisehir by shopping during their visit are also among the research findings.

Condolence Culture as a Product of Social Capital and Grief Counseling as an Institutional Service: The Examples of Turkey and Germany

Bir sosyal sermaye birikimi olarak değerlendirilen taziye kültürü, Türk geleneğinde büyük önem arz etmektedir. Taziye kültürünün yas sürecindeki bireylerde psikolojik, sosyal ve manevi bakımdan teskin edici, yatıştırıcı ve iyileştirici bir etkisi olduğu bilinmektedir. Almanya’da taziye merasimleri, sınırlı sayıda aile mensubu ve yakın çevre tarafından icra edilmektedir. Ancak Almanya’da özellikle hastanelerde ve yaşlı bakım merkezlerinde terminal (tedavisi olmayan) hastalıklara yakalanmış hasta ve ailelerine yönelik profesyonel yas danışmanlığı hizmeti yaygındır. Ölüme refakat/destek hizmeti ve yas danışmanlığının gayesi, ölecek kişiye manevi bakım ve rehberlik sağlamak suretiyle ölümün fiziki ve psikolojik sıkıntılarını hafifletmektir. Almanya’daki bütün hastalar insan onuruna yaraşır ölüme refakat hizmetleri ve yas danışmanlığı alma hakkına sahiptir. Her ne kadar Türkiye’de yas danışmanlığı henüz mesleki/kurumsal şekliyle oluşmamış ise de sosyal sermayenin bir yansıması olarak taziye kültürü Türk toplumunun tabii canlılığını ve dayanışmasını korumaktadır. Netice itibariyle sosyal sermayenin etkisiyle, taziye kültürünün yaşamakta olduğu Türkiye’de, yas danışmanlığının kurumsal bir hizmete dönüşmesi gecikmektedir. Ancak modernleşen toplum ve kent hayatı, bu sosyal sermayenin sürdürülebilirliğini azaltmaktadır. Bu sebeple kurumsal bir hizmet olarak yas danışmanlığının uygulandığı Almanya örneği, Türkiye’ye örnek teşkil edebilmesi ve uygulamaya yeni açılımlar sağlayabilmesi amacıyla çalışmaya konu olmuştur.

THE SECULARIZATION AND DESECULARIZATION NEXUS IN THE TURKISH CONTEXT: WHAT IS BEHIND?

The history of Turkey provides multiple examples of intricate combination of secularization (in the Turkish tradition – laicism) and desecularizaion (understood as a revival of Islam and its expansion into social life) while its contemporary dynamics provides a background for a non-conventional view on the correlation between the state and religion in the Muslim societies. The desecularization of Turkey has been a continuous process since the late 1940s, making it increasingly convenient for Islamists to become more visible in the political and the socioeconomic spheres. This paper analyzes the inclusion and accommodation of the “Turkish Islamism” into the sociopolitical life of Turkey focusing on such important phenomena as the constantly expanding religious sphere, the emergence of economic liberal conservatism, the rising resurgence of Islamism in education and media sphere together with the “jemaatization” of the Turkish society. The manifold manifestations of descularization in social, political and economic life, its profound impact on the Turkish party system, banking sector, education and mass media indicates the dialectic nature of secularization and desecularization nexus and reveals the flexibility of the border between religious and political spheres.

Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti’nde Saltanat Naiplerinin İktidar Üzerine Etkileri

1075-1308 yılları arasında hüküm süren Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti eski Türk devlet geleneği ve egemenlik anlayışını devam ettiren Türk devletlerinden birisidir. Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti’nin hâkimiyet anlayışına göre, saltanat veraset ile intikal etmekteydi. Saltanatın veraset ile intikal ettiği bu devlette hükümdar olabilmek için başka bir seçenek söz konusu değildi. Bununla beraber hanedan üyelerinin her birinin eşit derecede hükümdar olma hakkı olması ve bu konuda kesin kuralların olmaması taht mücadelelerine sebep olmuştur. Sultanlar hanedan mensubu olmalarına rağmen hanedan içinde olsa dahi bu devlette de iktidara sahip olmak için nüfuzlu ve güçlü olmak bir bakıma ümera nezdinde sözü geçen olmak için çetin mücadeleler yaşanmıştır. Türkiye Selçuklu Devleti’nde saltanat nâipleri devletin sahip olduğu iktidar anlayışına rağmen sultanların iktidarları üzerinde azımsanmayacak ölçüde etkili olmaktaydı. Bu çalışma ile mevcut saltanat naipleri üzerinden bu durumu örnekleri ile izah etmeye çalışacağız.

Arnavut Şiirindeki Türk Şiir Sanatı İzleri ve onun Arnavut Halk Kültürüne Etkisi

Arnavut Doğu şiiri geleneği, Osmanlı döneminde ortaya çıkmış ve 20. yüzyıla kadar da varlığını sürdürmüştür. Bu süreç içinde de Türk şiir geleneğinin şiirsel muhtevası ve formülasyonları içinde Arnavut şiiri teşekülüne devam etmiştir. Dönemin Arnavut şairleri ilk başlarda Türkçe, Farsça ve Arapça olarak edebi eser vermeyi başarabilmişler, daha sonra bu şiir geleneğini Arnavut dilinde yazılan eserlerine taşımışlardır. Bu nedenle Arnavut şairler, bazı kavram ve motiflerin ya da Klasik Osmanlı-Türk edebi söylemlerinin Arnavut Edebiyat Tarihine girmesine sebep olmuşlardır. Bu tür edebi söylemlerin kaynağı, temel olarak Osmanlı İmparatorluğu'nun eğitim kurumlarında ve daha sonra Arnavut topraklarında kurulan medreselere taşınan Arap-Fars-Türk bilgi geleneğidir ki sonraları Arnavut dilinde de etkili olmuş; dini eserler yazılmasından daha çok Arnavutça ilk şiir eserlerinin meydana gelmesine sebep olmuştur. Albanoloji çalışmalarında, bu edebi gelenek "Arap alfabesiyle Arnavut edebiyatı", "Alhamiado edebiyatı" ve "Beyteciler edebiyatı" gibi farklı isimlerle adlandırılmıştır. Lakin, bu tür şiir geleneğinin isimlendirilmesi ve bazı arastırmacıların çalışmalarından çıkan sonuçlar, onu üretildiği ortamdan saptırılmış ve ona belirsiz farklı boyutlar kazandırmıştır. Bu nedenle, bu isimlendirilmeler, şiirsel ve kültürel referanslarından ve kaynaklarından, yani Osmanlı kültür geleneğinden uzaklaştırdığı kanısındayız. Ayrıca komünist ideoloji mantığının çerçevesinde olan çalışmalar, Arnavut milletin düşmanın şiiri ve kültürü olarak değerlendirilerek, kasten gözden kaçırımışlardı. Albanoloji çalışmalarında hala bu şiire karşı önyargılı ve bilimsel dışı tutumlar gözükmektedir. Bazı Arnavut araştırmacılarına göre, bu şiir geleneği geçmişte bazı edebi ortamlarda sınırlı kalmıştır ve ondan sonra gelişen Arnavut kültüründe hiçbir katkısı olmamıştır. Ancak araştırmamız, bu tür bir edebiyatın, Arnavut kültürüne, özellikle Arnavut halk edebiyatında büyük bir etkisi olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, Arnavut İslam-Doğu şiiri geleneğinin şiirsel biçimlerini ele alıyor ve bazı Arnavut bilim insanlarının bu şiirin Arnavut halk edebiyatından etkilendiği kanaatini sorgularken, yine bu şiirin klasik Türk şiirinin tam etkisi altında olduğunu da savunuyor. Hali hazırda, Arnavut şiirine yansıyan Türk klasik şiirinin şiirseliği, estetiği ve kavramları, Arnavut topraklarında Tekke geleneğinde, Arnavutça'da Mevlid okuma dini törenlerinde ve çok sayıda Arnavut halk şarkılarında bulunmaktadır. Böylece, Osmanlı şiir ve estetik-felsefi sistemler içinde yaratılan Arnavut edebiyatı, Arnavut zihniyetinin ve kültürünün derinden etkilediğini ve ayrıca, Arnavut zihniyetinin yapılanmasında önemli bir yer olduğunu söylemek mümkündur. Bu nedenle bu tür bir şiirsel yaratıcılık, hala yeterince yayınlanmadığı, çalışılmadığı ve yorumlanmadığı söylemek mümkün, lakin Arnavut edebiyat tarihinin ayrılımaz bir parçası olarak kabul edilmelidir. Makalemiz, bu şiirin yüzyıllarca Arnavut halkının ontolojik ve epistemolojik durumunu yansıttığını, ve hatta bu milletin derin bilinçaltına işlediğini görüşünü öne sunuyor. Çalışma ayrıca, Türk klasik şiirinin Arnavut halk edebiyatında ve halk kültüründe bıraktığı izleri de değerlendirmektedir.

Osmanlı Kroniklerinin Işığında Bosna’nın Fethi

Fatih Sultan Mehmed adopted the understanding of dominance in the world which is an old Turkish tradition. Fatih Sultan’s aim was to collect both Christian and Islam civilization under his hegemony so that he can establish a global empire. Following the conquest of Istanbul, Sultan Mehmed’s first initiative was to build a great and rich center for his state that became an imperial force. Then, he wanted to abolish the factors which might lay a claim on Istanbul. Furthermore, his political agenda was to abandon the regional principalities system; and he wanted to conquest all principalities directly so that he can establish a central empire. The Balkan Peninsula was a region that should be under control against the western threats and at the same time it was a gate to transfer the Turkish-Islam civilization to the west. He followed the way of abolishing the principalities till Tuna so as to establish his dominance over the region; and he combined all Balkan Peninsula in one entity. The besieging of Bosnia was one of the initiatives towards this aim. In this research, conquest of Bosnia in the period of the Mehmet II (1480), will be evaluated through the works of classical Ottoman history writers such as Tursun Bey, Oruç Bey, İbn Kemal, Solak-Zade Mehmed Hemdemî Çelebi.

RUMELİ’DE KADINLARIN KURDUKLARI PARA VAKIFLARININ EĞİTİMDEKİ ROLÜ

In the Ottoman Empire, waqfs were non-profit organizations which were established to meet the basic needs of the Ottoman society in the fields of religion, education, culture and health. In conjunction with requirements of the time, waqfs became the financial source of economic and commercial life in the 16th century after they became prominent with debates in the society and with religious permission of Sheik al-Islam and approval of the Sultan. Although waqfs and cash waqfs were not able to solve the inequality in distribution of income, which existed much or less, they played a vital role in terms of keeping it at the level of society’s limit of tolerance. In addition to Ottoman men who were chief actors and main bearers of the waqf institutions, Ottoman women fulfilled their duty on this matter properly as well. In addition to the Sultan and other members of dynasty who tried to meet the needs of society in accordance with the Turkish tradition, high rank Ottoman bureaucrats and their families pioneered the establishment of cash waqfs. Waqfs, especially cash waqfs were founded by women in the Ottoman Rumelia region to support education. In this study, 11 waqfiyahs, which were not published before and belonged to the period from the second half of 16th century to the beginning of the 20th, century will be examined.

IMECE—Implementation of mathematical, experimental, and computer‐based education: A special application of fluid mechanics for civil and environmental engineering students

AbstractA novel educational methodology, Implementation of Mathematical, Experimental, and Computer‐based Education (IMECE), where its name was derived from the letters of the word “imece” (a Turkish tradition) by taking into account the integrative meaning of this cultural concept, was proposed to explore the synergistic effect of the conventional mathematical solution procedure, visual application, and MATLAB‐based simulation on the perceptions and learning quality of the engineering students. Within the scope the present research carried out both at the state university (undergraduate and graduate levels) and at the foundation university (undergraduate level), water discharge problem (a special case of the Bernoulli's principle/Toricelli's law) was chosen as an example application. In the study, the experimental results of three different tank models (vertical cylindrical, conical, and spherical) and the solution algorithms written in MATLAB were presented in detail, and new empirical equations were also developed for each laboratory scale system depending on the experimental data. The effectiveness of the proposed IMECE method was evaluated statistically within the framework of both “Student Survey” and “Student Assessment” conducted with the participation of 84 students. Based on the mean scores obtained for all participating students, the results of the statistical tests indicated that the quantitative performance (or effectiveness) of the applied IMECE methodology was determined as 97.73%, 67.36%, and 82.55% for the perception/satisfaction section, the learning section, and the overall evaluation category, respectively.

Transfer of ochratoxin A from raw black tea to tea infusions prepared according to the Turkish tradition.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a natural contaminant of food including tea with multiple toxic effects, which poses a threat to human health. In terms of lifestyle, the Turkish population is a frequent visitor of tearooms, and the traditional Turkish tea preparation is one of the most popular ways of preparing tea infusion. The aim of this study was to investigate OTA transfer from raw black tea to the tea infusion prepared according to the Turkish tradition. A high-performance liquid chromatography method with a limit of quantification of 0.35 ng g-1 was used for OTA determination. The OTA amount in raw black teas from Turkey ranged from ≤0.35 ng g-1 up to 56.7 ng g-1 . An homogenised sample of black tea naturally contaminated with 55.0 ng g-1 was used to prepare infusions. The OTA transfer from the black tea to the infusion was found to be 41.5% ± 7%. These data are important for the realisation of a 'Total Diet study' (TDS). The TDS can be a complementary tool to estimate the population dietary exposure to OTA across the entire diet by analysing main foods prepared 'as consumed' (tea infusions) and not 'as purchased' (raw tea). © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Onvervulbare verlange tussen tradisie en moderniteit: Orhan Pamuk se The Museum of Innocence

In hierdie artikel word die Turkse wenner van die Nobelprys vir Letterkunde in 2006, Orhan Pamuk, se roman in Engels vertaal as The Museum of Innocence ontleed betreffende die spanning tussen tradisie en moderniteit. Daar word uitgegaan van die tese dat hierdie spanning te wyte is aan die oorhaastige, wilsmatige, sentralistiese, tipies moderne wyse waarop Turkye se groot moderne staatsman, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, die land tussen 1923 en 1938 gemoderniseer het. Die roman word ontleed aan die hand van twee temas. Die eerste tema is dié van nabootsingsbegeerte waarmee voortgebou word op die werk van Hans Achterhuis en veral René Girard. Hier word aangevoer dat die hoofkarakters in die roman vasgevang is in 'n tussentoestand tussen tradisie en moderniteit, wat hulle probeer ontsnap deur 'n nabootsing van die Westerse moderniteit, met tragiese gevolge. Die tweede tema is dié van verlies en herinneringsvoorwerpe soos dit beslag kry in die hoofkarakter, Kemal, se Museum van Onskuld. Daar word aangetoon dat Pamuk op mimetiese wyse aansluiting vind by die werk van Marcel Proust, maar ook Proust se tema van herinneringsvoorwerpe verder ontgin. Die verskillende fases waarin die Museum van Onskuld beslag kry, word ontleed om uiteindelik tot die gevolgtrekking te kom dat Kemal se onvermoë om anders met die Westerse moderniteit om te gaan, hom dompel in 'n permanente vervanging van die hede en die toekoms met 'n verlore verlede.

Black Turk – Magnificent Sultan: Turkish Images on the Balkans Today

There is generally a negative image of the Turk – as arch-enemy – in Balkan countries. Yet this image refers less to real Turks than to different ethno-linguistic and religious neighbour groups, who are seen as more ‘Asiatic’ and less ‘European’ than oneself. Real Turks and the Turkish tradition – especially among Muslims – are rather admired. These images are constructions of high culture, albeit with sometimes dire consequences for all and sundry in times of conflict.

The Poet as Translator: Mary Wortley Montagu Approaches the Turkish Lyric

The Poet as Translator: Mary Wortley Montagu Approaches the Turkish Lyric

The importance of wheat in teething celebration in Turkish culture

Food is utterly essential to human existence and has an important role to play in social and cultural events as well. The study of food and eating has a long history in social sciences, specifically in folklore and anthropology, beginning in the nineteenth century. This article concentrates on a particular food, wheat and examines its significance in the Turkish culture. Since wheat has both cultural and social aspects in the Turkish culture, the study mainly focuses on the ritual called diAŸ buAŸdayA± or diAŸ hediAŸi, thus, “teething ceremony”, an important biological development of a baby in the Turkish culture. It deals with how the wheat meal is prepared or presented; how the ritual is performed and celebrated; and what functions of the event in the Turkish culture are. Key words: Wheat, tooth, teething, ritual, Turkish tradition.

An Old Turkish Tradition In Ottoman Palace: Gift Exchange In The New Year

An Old Turkish Tradition In Ottoman Palace: Gift Exchange In The New Year

Turkish Nasreddin Hoca's Appearance as the Uzbek Afandi1

The article deals with the development of Turkish Nasreddin Hoca anecdotes in Central Asia. Compared with the Turkish tradition, the contribution of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia to the corpus of Nasreddin Hoca anecdotes is not yet sufficiently analysed. After the printed Ottoman version (Istanbul 1837) became the starting point for the Uzbek stories of Nasriddin Afandi or Afandi—as the figure is called in Uzbekistan—its basic stock developed quickly both in quantity and quality. Based on two Uzbek collections of Afandi latifalari (Tashkent 1968 and 1989), the relationship between the basic Turkish and the recent Uzbek corpus is looked at. One of the distinctive features of the Uzbek Nasriddin Afandi collections is the higher number of stories with a critical attitude toward the traditional authorities. Some examples from this part of the corpus are given to illustrate different ways of transformation.