70028 Ottoman and Turkish Art
Panagiotis Poulos
University Teacher (PD 407/80)
3 hours per week
Course description
This course examines aspects of the Ottoman cultural history, focusing on the status and functions of arts (music, illustration, architecture etc.) in the Ottoman society. The various art forms are analyzed in terms of their formal characteristics, their institutional status and their role in the formation, on the one hand, of a central court culture and on the other, of the urban popular culture. On a secondary level, this course focuses on the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic, Turkish nationalism and its impact on the arts. Emphasis is given on the ways the Ottoman cultural heritage is reassessed in the context of the establishment of the modern Turkish state, and on the politics of culture followed.
The aim of this course is to develop a critical approach to the study of the development and transformation of the Ottoman culture through the study of arts. In addition, it aims to address a number of central issues related to the formation of the modern Turkish cultural identity.
Course Structure
The course comprises three basic units. The first unit is an introduction to the basic theoretical topics of the cultural history in relation to the study of the world of the Ottoman arts. Emphasis is given on the historical development of the notions of ‘culture’ and ‘civilization’ and the debates over the distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. The second unit consists of a number of selected topics from the field of the Ottoman arts that illustrate the formation, transformation and limitations of the Ottoman central court culture. Ottoman court culture is discussed comparatively with the domains of popular arts and culture that developed in the context of Ottoman urban centers. The third unit focuses on the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic, addressing the issue of cultural heritage and national identity and its implications to the field of arts. In this unit, particular emphasis is given on the rise of folklore in contemporary Turkey.
Assessment
A 2,000-2,500 words essay and written final examination. Regular attendance and contribution to class discussions are essential and effect the final grade.
Bibliography
And, Metin. 1974. Turkish Miniature Panting: The Ottoman Period. Ankara: Dost Publication.
Başgöz, İlhan. 1972. «Folklore Studies and Nationalism in Turkey». Journal of the Folklore Institute 9: 162-176.
Behar, Cem. 2006. «The Ottoman Musical Tradition». In S. Faroqhi (ed.) The Cambridge History of Turkey, Vol. 3. The Latter Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839, pp. 393-407. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Feldman, Walter. 1996. Music of the Ottoman court: makam, composition and the early Ottoman instrumental repertoire (Intercultural Music Studies, 10). Berlin: VWB- Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung.
Goodwin, Godfrey. 1987. A History of Ottoman Architecture. London: Thames & Hudson
Kafadar, Cemal. 2008. Ανάμεσα σε δυο κόσμους: Η κατασκευή του οθωμανικού κράτους. Αθήνα: ΜΙΕΤ.
Necipoğlu, Gülru. 1991. Architecture, Ceremonial and Power: Topkapı Palace in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries. Cambridge: MA: MIT.