While Turkey’s unique position at the crossroads of East and West has endowed this country with a long and rich history and strategic importance in the region, the nation still struggles to define itself and its citizens. Established from the multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and largely rural Ottoman Empire, the modern Republic of Turkey has become a mostly urban, secular society in which individual and national identity is tied to the notion of Turkish ethnicity. However, fueled by the accession process to the European Union, regional and domestic conflict, and the impacts of globalization; notions and expressions of identity, community, and culture are being challenged and redefined. Through lectures, site visits, study tours, and hands-on experiences of local expressions of culture, participants will gain insight into shifting notions of identity, community, and culture in contemporary Turkey.
This 12-day seminar begins and ends in Istanbul with a study trip to the capital city of Ankara and the Southeastern region of Turkey.
