Abstract
Ebru: Reflections of Cultural Diversity in Turkey is a mixed media project that includes large-format photographs by Attila Durak, Turkish folk music in multiple indigenous languages performed by the Bo?aziçi University Folklore Club, and a book with more than 300 photographs of 44 ethnic groups and essays on cultural diversity from prominent Turkish writers. A rotating panel of writers accompanies the exhibit to each venue to discuss what Ebru means on a more personal level.
This paper chronicles a year of ethnographic fieldwork, during which I followed Ebru as it traveled to ten Turkish cities. I conducted exit interviews and walked through the exhibit with people as they encountered the images of more than 40 ethnic groups living in Turkey today. I also interviewed panelists and recorded responses and comments during the panel discussions. I discovered intense and varying responses to the suggestion that Turkey continues to be a culturally diverse nation.
In this paper I analyze exhibit goers’ responses and comments at different levels by combining visual arts theory and theories of nationalism and nation-building. I also describe the impact of the exhibit on the communities that hosted it, and attempt to answer the following questions: How do Turkish citizens define themselves in relation to an official definition of Turkishness? How does ethnic identity intersect national identity in modern Turkey? Finally, how do Turkish citizens respond to a portrait of their nation that is ethnically diverse? In other words, when Turks view a multicultural portrait of their nation, can they see themselves? My presentation will include music and digital images of Ebru’s photographs.
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