Essay on "Turkey a Cultural Bridge Between East and West"
Essay 3 pages (1051 words) Sources: 6
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Turkey: A Cultural Bridge between East and WestKey features of Turkey's unique identity
The most noteworthy characteristic of Turkey is that it does indeed constitute a cultural bridge between the West and the East. It integrates elements of both western modernity as well as eastern traditionalism. From this standpoint, Turkey, it could be said, finds itself at a cross roads between long standing traditions and the process of globalization from the west, which is making its presence incrementally felt.
Another element of unique Turkish identity is given by the geographic location in a region rich in cultural as well as military conflicts. A relevant example in this sense is offered by the country's relationship with the Kurds, which are sometimes enemies in armed conflicts, and other times, welcomed as refugees (Eller, p.143). Aside the Kurds however, Turkey "is an amalgam of various Muslim ethnic groups, including Kurds as well as Bosniacs, Albanians, Circassians, Georgians, Greek-speaking Muslims and ethnic Turks, among others" (Cagaptay). This myriad of ethnicities constitutes yet another key determinant in the analysis of the Turkish identity.
In light of these rich and diverse values of Turkish identity, a question is being posed relative to the dominant cultural values. In order to support the EU accession process, the Turks focused primarily on a democratic stand which embraces western values. Yet, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the country found it more and more difficult to further distance itself from its Muslim roots (Tank, p.463).
2. The role of religion in
download full paper ⤓
The large majority of the Turks -- namely an estimated 99.8 per cent of the entire population -- seems to belong to the Muslim religion, mostly Sunni. The remaining people belong to several minorities, out of which Christianity and Judaism are the most popular (Central Intelligence Agency). At a formal level, Turkey is recognized as a secular state -- this basically means that it does not assume any religion as a state religion; additionally, the country allows religious freedom to all citizens. Finally, as a secular state, religion plays a limited role in the political decision making process.
While it has not been mentioned throughout the previous section, Turkey is the only democratic state in which most citizens belong to the Muslim religion -- and this also constitutes an intriguing aspect of unique Turkish identity. "Religious influence is also largely minimised in the public sphere, and religion no longer holds the same importance in people's lives as it used to. Today Muslim countries and societies are in the focal point of political observations as the religion seems to be the main obstacle on the way to a sustainable democracy and promotion of human rights. Turkey is the only democratic country among the Muslim countries which prescribes laicite [secular in French] in its constitution" (Gokhan).
3. The potential of religion and ethnicity on political cooperation / conflict in Turkey
While the country has made significant efforts in the direction of democratization and westernization through globalization, fact remains that it continues to carry on its traditional eastern values. In other words, despite the secular aspect and… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Turkey a Cultural Bridge Between East and West" Assignment:
Write an essay and discuss the topics below.
TOPICS:
1 - Identify key features of Turkey*****s unique ethnicity
2 ***** Identify the role of religion in Turkey*****s society
3 ***** Identify the potential both religion and ethnicity have on political cooperation/conflict in Turkey.
4 ***** Discern how items 1-3 might impact Turkey*****s development and relations with the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
REQUIREMENTS:
1 - Identify the reference (book, article, page number) that supports each idea.
2 - Include a heading before each topic (i.e. Turkey*****'s Unique Ethnicity, Role of Religion in Turkey*****'s Society, etc.)
3 - Use the references below to write the essay. Also the ***** can use one to two other sources but please ensure I have access to the documents.
1 - M. Hakan Yavuz, *****Islam and Europeanization in Turkish-Muslim socio-political movements,***** in Religion in an Expanding Europe, ed. Timothy A. Byrnes and Peter J. Katzenstein (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006); pages 225-255.
http://books.google.com/books?id=gKkA3GdCM78C&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=islam+and+europeanization+in+turkish-muslim+socio-political+movements&source=bl&ots=ZFgqTzdUhm&sig=-YSMsVnUmedEnsdRQLhvupCjyIc&hl=en&ei=6d_HS52QHZOy9gSh3o3tCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=islam%20and%20europeanization%20in%20turkish-muslim%20socio-political%20movements&f=false
2 ***** Pinar Tank, *****Dressing for the Occasion: Reconstructing Turkey*****s Identity?***** Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 6, issue 4 (Dec 2006): pages 463-478.
http://www.prio.no/sptrans/1100767105/2006pt001.pdf
3 ***** Nilufer Gole, *****Europe ***** an identity or a project?***** Neue Zurcher Zeitung, 26 Nov 2005.
http://www.signandsight.com/features/514.html
4 ***** Jack ***** Eller, *****From Culture to Ethnicity to Conflict***** (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1999). Only read Chapter 4: The Kurds: Frustrated Nationalism.
http://books.google.com/books?id=a8CxvhZfPYoC&dq=From+Culture+to+Ethnicity+to+Conflict&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=d2DKS73CMobmswP_wOX7Ag&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false
5 ***** Soner Cagaptay, *****Not a Bigger Slice, but a Bigger Pie,***** Hurriyet Daily News, 9 Sept 2009.
http://www.cagaptay.com/6189/not-a-bigger-slice-but-a-bigger-pie
*****
How to Reference "Turkey a Cultural Bridge Between East and West" Essay in a Bibliography
“Turkey a Cultural Bridge Between East and West.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2010, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/turkey-cultural-bridge/671948. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.
Related Essays:
Sports Shoes and Sports Clothing Market and Trends in Turkey Research Proposal
Sports Shoes Turkey
Sports Shoes and Sports Clothing Market and Trends in Turkey
Brief History of Turkey
Turkey is an internationally recognized center for sports enthusiasm and participation. The interest… read more
Research Proposal 30 pages (8792 words) Sources: 150 Style: Turabian Topic: Sports / Exercise / Fitness
Religion in Turkey Term Paper
Religion and Secularism in Turkey
Turkey lies at the northeast tip of the Mediterranean Sea and bridges Europe and the Middle East. Part of it, called the Turkis Straits, is… read more
Term Paper 11 pages (3751 words) Sources: 6 Topic: Religion / God / Theology
Turkey Language Policy Term Paper
Linguistics
The Republic of Turkey: Language Policy and Nationalism
Despite surface appearances, many modern countries exhibit a considerable amount of linguistic diversity. One notable example, the Republic of Turkey, officially… read more
Term Paper 6 pages (1750 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA Topic: Israel / Palestine / Arab World
History of Espionage Class Reading Essay
The chapter also circles back to the "Cambridge Five," and how even with Soviet spy Kim Philby placed so highly in the British Secret Service, the Soviet leader's inability to… read more
Essay 27 pages (7517 words) Sources: 29 Topic: World History
Voss Water International Marketing Plan for the Turkish Term Paper
Voss Water
Today, Turkey is emerging as an increasingly important nation that serves as a bridge between the Middle East and the European Union and points beyond. Turkey's full membership… read more
Term Paper 29 pages (7740 words) Sources: 10 Style: Turabian Topic: Israel / Palestine / Arab World
Fri, Oct 4, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!