Activities - Voyvoda Street Lectures 2005-2006

A. ECONOMIC HISTORY LECTURES

First Wednesday of each month 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Turkey on the path to Europe...

October 5, 2005 - Soli Özel
Towards the EU and After
After another important turn left behind in EU-Turkey relations, how the period ahead develops will be determined both by Turkey 's actions and how fast the EU overcomes its own internal crisis. It is crucial for Turkey to keep its goals and its own advantages in mind.

November 9, 2005 - Prof. Eser Karakas
What point have we reached in Turkey-EU Relations?
Based on the milestones paving the road to the EU - at whose door Turkey has been knocking since 1959 - an examination of what has been accomplished since official candidate status was obtained in 1999, and an evaluation of the accession negotiations that lie ahead.

December 7, 2005 - Assoc. Prof. Deniz Gökçe
The Need for Sectorial Reform as Turkey prepares for EU Integration
There is a need for reform in Turkey originating both from its own dynamics and from its bid to join the EU. This need is usually discussed from a macroeconomic viewpoint or as part of a wider agricultural or industrial framework. This lecture aims to approach the topic from a historical perspective with specific references to the telecommunications, energy, natural gas and industrial production sectors.

January 4, 2006 - Prof. Atila Eralp
Changing Dynamics in the EU
Prof. Eralp will critique the emerging view which approaches Turkey 's relations with the EU from a bilateral or Turkey-centric perspective and suggest instead that relations be analyzed within the framework of the EU's changing dynamics, particularly those which have developed after the Helsinki summit. In the process, he will attempt to show how attitudes to and arguments about Turkey now take shape, and on what subjects they focus.

February 1, 2006 - Prof. Beril Dedeoglu
Past, Present and Future in Turkey-Europe Relationship
Even though the Turkey-EU relationship goes back a long way, it can only recently be considered a partnership. Starting with World War II, the policies adopted by each side were usually defined within a foreign policy framework; Europe saw in Turkey an ally in the Middle East while Turkey accepted Europe as one of the two "Wests." Diplomatic and political relations between the two sides developed as an extension of this viewpoint with the concept of "security" at the core of diplomatic relations. Turkey's integration with Europe was approached ambivalently both by Turkey and the EU and consequently the EU's 1999 decision to accord Turkey official "candidate" status met with the astonishment of both sides. Prof. Dedeoglu will explain that globalization has brought about changes in the attitudes of both Turkey and the EU so that Turkey has now reached a stage where it prepares for EU membership but accession negotiations depend on both sides giving up earlier political paradigms.

March 1, 2006 - Assoc. Prof. Hakan Yilmaz
Europe and Turkey : Suspicious Minds
This lecture will compare the results obtained from two studies conducted in Turkey and Europe . The first investigated the wariness in Turkish attitudes to Europe, drawing on in-depth interviews and a national public survey conducted in Turkey between July 2003 and July 2004. The second, conducted in the second half of 2005, and using once again in-depth interviews, explored France and Germany 's distrust of Turkey . Prof. Hakan Yilmaz identifies common themes and points of divergence in the mutual suspicion existing between these countries.

April 5, 2006 - Prof. Emre Gönensay
The Future of the EU and Turkey
What difficulties and crises does the European Union face? What factors have led to these issues and what are their solutions?  How will or how should Turkey's relations with the EU develop under these circumstances?

May 31, 2006 - Prof. Fuat Keyman
Europe's Future, Turkey's Membership
Turkey's membership negotiations with the EU officially began on October 3, 2005. Though this represents a very positive step forward, it has also launched a negotiation process of uncertain outcome. This lecture advances the premise that Turkey's accession to the EU is dependent both on the future political stance of Europe and on Turkey's economic progress and the extent to which it fulfills the obligations of a liberal democracy. 

B. ISTANBUL LECTURES

Second Wednesday of each month 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Istanbul seen through the eye of architects...

October 12, 2005 - Prof. Atilla Yücel
Century turns: The Story of a Beyoglu Building and Street
The 1890s to the 1900s, then the 1980s to the 2000s... In the background 1850s Beyoglu: The religious missions, the nuns, the schools, the orphanages, the embassies, the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews... the homes and their dwellers, the occupants of the top floors, the wealthy Levantines and others, on the lower floors, the shop owners and the kapici (doormen)...

The years in between: The 1920s and after the Occupation, the new proprietors and tenants of the building. The 1950s onwards, a street and its transformation in time: Along the former Rue des Postes and its continuation, Tomtom Kaptan Sokak, from the former Grande Rue de Pera (today's Istiklal Caddesi), towards Tophane: transformations in the urban texture, in the type of buildings, changes in social topography and changes in the cityscape. Through the birth, life and new life (restoration) of a century-old building, the formerly named Soeurs Garde Malades Apartment, Yücel's lecture chronicles life in a Beyoglu apartment house over different century turns.

November 16, 2005 - Prof. Dogan Kuban
What are Istanbul's Main Issues?
In its open or secret accumulation of the evidence of 2,700 years of history, Istanbul has acquired a new identity with every political or cultural change. The radical transformation it experienced after 1950 transcends all the physical boundaries of history. The city has become a chaotic megapolis sprawling out from the husk of its historic nucleus and any attempt to resolve its issues with the prevailing provincial political culture is impractical. The lecture will stress what topics should be given priority to when discussing Istanbul.

December 14, 2005 - Hasan Kuruyazici
Forgotten Architects of Galata
The turn of the 20 th century witnessed a construction boom in Istanbul . Most of the apartment houses and commercial buildings built at the time are still around today but very few of us know the names of the architects who designed them. In an ongoing research project initiated more than ten years ago, Hasan Kuruyazici has brought to light again the majority of these 850 forgotten architects and has identified over 60 of the structures they built. This lecture will introduce the architects (Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Muslim, Levantine and foreign) of buildings in Galata and its vicinity.

February 8, 2006 - Assoc. Prof. Cengiz Can
Istanbul and the Fossatis
When the Fossati brothers arrived in Istanbul in the middle of the 19 th century, the city still retained its traditional structure. Drawing on original drafts and documents from the Ticino state archives, Cengiz Can will consider the Fossatis' appreciation of Istanbul 's local culture and their approach to its urban and architectural values and discuss the brothers' dilemma face to the demands of the leading Tanzimat bureaucrats, who were determined to emulate European architecture.

March 8, 2006 - Assist. Prof. Derin Öncel
The Evolution of the Ottoman Residence and Galata Apartment Houses
This lecture will present the main headings of a research on the apartment houses which began to appear in the later 19 th century, in particular in the Beyoglu district. The research is a typological study limited to a sample of buildings in the area surrounding the Galata tower. In order to investigate structural consistency the research's main hypothesis was that the apartment houses would be of diverse architectural design and, on an urban scale, possess a number of distinctive characteristics. Consequently, the study, rather than remain confined to a schematic approach, viewed the emergence of a "new type of residence" from various perspectives, taking into consideration the urban texture, morphological aspect and parcellation of the area prior to the shift to apartment buildings, the social changes experienced by the population due to urbanization and the effects of the passage from a traditional to a more modern lifestyle.

April 12, 2006 – Turgay Tuna
Yesilköy: From Lighthouse to Levantines, Old Mansions and Architects
Contrary to Bakırköy's well-known historic past, the incredibly rich history of Yeşilköy – formerly known as Ayastefanos – remains undiscovered territory. In 1871, its railroad opened for service making Ayastefanos a fashionable summering place just like Bakırköy. Beautiful summer homes and mansions were built, some of which have made it to our day. A number of old-line Levantine families as well as a social elite of Muslim artists, writers, politicians, and merchants moved to Ayastefanos and settled there. Among them, the Dadyans, the Ferrys, from whom Feriköy took its name, Ahmet İhsan Tokgöz, the owner of the literary journal Servet-i Fünun, Halit Hakkı Karay, Nadir Nadi, Mehmed Ali Aybar and Ninette de Valois, the founder of Turkish ballet. The lecture also presents some of the illustrious Levantine architects who achieved great popularity during that period: Philippe Bello, Amanchich, Barborini, Guiglio Mongeri and Sempirini...
 
May 10, 2006 – Prof. Ugur Tanyeli
18th Century Istanbul: A City on the Brink of Metamorphism
Up to the end of the 17th century, change characterizes Istanbul's history but from the 18th century on, the city's identity undergoes an actual metamorphosis. In this period, the landscape of the Ottoman capital begins a radical transformation as Ottoman upper classes acquire a new perception and appreciation of the natural environment. More importantly, this is a time when aesthetics, luxury and comfort take on new definitions and space and architecture begin to play "modern" roles in social conflicts. 

June 14, 2006 – Aykut Koksal
A Few Observations on the Historical Topography of Byzantine Istanbul
The majority of studies done up to our day on the historical topography of Istanbul in the Byzantine era take texts from original sources as a starting point and fail to consider the historic structure of the city as it endures today. However, the topography of Byzantine Istanbul both persisted over Ottoman centuries and is connected to the city's current spatial organization. Because of research that has disregarded this continuity and link, even very non-realistic maps of the city walls have figured in publications as a sort of scientific legend. Within a context covering the stages of Istanbul's development, the city's street grid, the main porticoed roads and place names, this lecture offers observations and new contributions to our knowledge of Istanbul's historical topography in the Byzantine period.

C. MUSIC AND POLITICS

Third Wednesday of each month 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The interrelationship of music and literature

October 19, 2005 - Ilke Boran
Faust in Music
Ever since the Middle Ages, the myth of Faust had fascinated European thought. At first transmitted orally, the story was later put to paper, reaching a dramatic and literary peak with Goethe. Goethe's Faust was written in two parts and the first became a great source of inspiration to 19 th century artists. In his lecture, Ilke Boran will discuss why 19 th century musicians, in particular, were irresistibly drawn to this theme. What was the attraction of the Faust myth? In this lecture, Ilke Boran will discuss how the Faust theme in Goethe's masterwork was reflected in 19 th century music, especially in the compositions of Berlioz and Liszt.

November 23, 2005 - Sarper Özsan
The Interrelationship of Music and Literature throughout the History of Music
The lecture discusses, with illustrative examples, the interaction of music and literature from the Middle Ages on.

December 21, 2005 - Sungu Okan
Literature Music and Dance - "A Shakespeare Masterpiece in Ballet"
Starting with the 19 th century in particular, William Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," inspired a number of composers including, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Charles Gounod, Hector Berlioz and Frederick Delius. Shakespeare's play was the literary source for symphonic poems, operas and symphonies but the best-loved musical adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" is probably Sergei Prokofief's ballet version. The lecture, illustrated by excerpts of Prokofief's music, will present and compare four different "Romeo and Juliet" ballets, choreographed by world-known artists. Highlights from the ballet will be shown on DVD.

January 17, 2006 - Ilke Boran
Richard Wagner and Literature
Richard Wagner originally wished to pursue a literary career but ended up one of the most eccentric composers in the history of music. Drawing on his epic four-opera cycle, Der Ring des Niebelungen, which epitomizes the fusion of his composer and essayist personas, Ilke Boran will examine how Wagner's love of literature and philosophy was reflected in his operas.

February 15, 2006 - Ayse Sezerman
William Shakespeare and Opera
Probably the greatest writer in the world, William Shakespeare's works have fascinated composers for centuries. In this lecture, Ayse Sezerman explores the considerable influence Shakespeare had on operatic writing and retraces the numerous operas derived from his plays.

March 15, 2006 - Prof. Metin Ülkü
The Impact of Impressionist Art and Literature on Claude Debussy's Music
Claude Debussy, one of the main exponents of Impressionism in the history of music, was in undeniably close interaction with his period's impressionist art and literature. This lecture looks at how this interaction shaped Debussy's music and aesthetics.

April 19, 2006 – Elif Damla Yavuz
Pushkin and the National Russian Opera
Glinka is usually considered the founder of Russian opera and one of the major exponents of 19th century Russian nationalism in music. However, the writings of Pushkin, whom Maxim Gorky has called the "beginning of all beginnings," played an equally significant role in the birth of Russian opera. This lecture retraces the great impact of Pushkin on Russian composers – who regarded him as the Russian counterpart of Byron, Shakespeare or Goethe – as well as his undeniable contributions to Russian nationalism.

May 17, 2006 – Kivilcim Yildiz Senürkmez
The Interaction of Music and Literature in Richard Strauss' Salome and Elektra Operas
At the turn of the 20th century in Berlin, works stressing moral and emotional turmoil and excess were produced in every area of the arts. The approach in literature was to suggest or evoke through delicate phrases what could not be expressed or described. In such a context, Richard Strauss transformed Oscar Wilde's Salome into an opera and in collaboration with Hugo von Hofmannsthal, composed the opera Elektra. Both works show a proclivity for the supernatural, various paradoxes, violence and passion. The lecture addresses the regeneration into music of the themes in the plays and the depiction of the characters.

D. OBJECTS AND RITUALS

Fourth Wednesday of each month 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The involvement of art in everyday life and the interaction of culture with perceived reality.

October 26, 2005 - Orhan Yilmazkaya
The Turkish Hamam: Heat under the Light Dome
"The hamam filters centuries of memories reflected from its 'reclining' stone towards the large light-filled dome. This is its essential purpose, not bathing. We do that at home anyway."

"Modern" Istanbul residents today have unfortunately forgotten the difference between the ritual of the hamam and bathing.

Author, Orhan Yilmazkaya discusses the centuries-old tradition of the Turkish hamam portrayed in his book, "Turkish Baths, a Guide to the Historic Turkish Baths of Istanbul."

Prohibited books burnt in the furnace (külhan) of the hamams, the emergence of the roughnecks known as külhanbey s (from külhanci , the man who tended the furnace of the hamam), why water from the hamams did not drain outside, tales of the hamam, the bride's hamam, the groom's hamam, the practice of rinsing off forty times and much more... Discover with Yilmazkaya, the hamam, as the oldest form of commercial enterprise in Turkey and as seen through the eyes of the orientalists.

November 30, 2005 - Prof. Edhem Eldem
Continuity and Change in Ottoman Muslim Death Rituals
During the five-century period from the 15 th to the 20 th century, death rituals in Ottoman Muslim culture, though based on Islamic tradition, were also marked by aspects unique to Ottoman culture. The modernization process initiated in the 19 th century added its own impact so that certain transformations in Ottoman death rituals resulted from western influences. The lecture will address the interplay of these influences and developments over time with illustrative examples.

December 28, 2005 - Prof. Günsel Renda
Magnificent Ceremonial in the Ottoman Palace: The Presentation of Credentials
The presentation ceremonies of newly-assigned ambassadors held a special place amid the various official ceremonies held at the Ottoman palace. In order to display the power of the empire and impress new ambassadors, the presentation of credentials was made to coincide with the pay day of the imperial council ( divan ). During these ceremonies, protocol dictated the appropriate attire of ambassadors and delegations. The ceremony was c oncluded when the ambassador had presented his letters of credence to the sovereign in the audience chamber. This scene has been documented in detail both by Ottoman and European painters. The lecture, illustrated with various visual materials, will focus on the presentation ceremonies of eastern and western ambassadors throughout the Ottoman centuries.

February 22, 2006 - Prof. Ugur Derman
Ottoman Building Inscriptions in Istanbul
The inscriptions carved on buildings are often considered a country's "title deeds on stone." From its time as the Ottoman capital to the present, thousands of such inscriptions were used in Istanbul though most have not made it to our day. Practically all these inscriptions were written in verse and all were dated by the chronogram used at the end - calculating a chronogram was simple: every letter of the alphabet had a numeric value so that when all the letters used in the verse were added up they amounted to a precise date. Some of these inscriptions were composed by well known Ottoman poets and engraved in the sülüs or talik embossed lettering style onto the stone of the building by master calligraphers of the period.

March 22, 2006 - Prof. Hatice Aynur
Istanbul Fountains Commissioned by Women
Fountains and sebil s (kiosks built to dispense free water) are considered very much part and parcel of Istanbul 's distinctive identity. Up to the beginning and even the middle of the 20 th century, these constructions formed an essential part of Istanbul daily life until the advent of running water piped into the home lessened the need for them. Instead of preserving these fountains and sebil s - each of which had represented the cultural and artistic sensibilities of their times - they were demolished or abandoned and left to ruin. Using as a point of departure the ongoing project, Osmanli'da Kadinlarin Yaptirdigi Hayratlar : Istanbul Çesmeleri ("Public Works and Endowments Commissioned by Ottoman Women: Istanbul Fountains") this lecture will explore Ottoman water culture, and provide examples of the fountains and sebil s in Istanbul which were commissioned by women while giving as well details on the identity of these women.

April 26, 2006 – Omur Tufan
Japanese Porcelains
This lecture provides some general information about the history and main characteristics of the large collection of Japanese porcelains in Topkapı Palace and other Ottoman palaces. Explaining how Imari porcelains – the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain wares made in Arita – were produced, and retracing their route to Ottoman palaces, Ömür Tufan also discusses the meanings of the most commonly used porcelain designs and identifies leading manufacturers.

May 24, 2006 – Prof. Filiz Yenisehirlioglu
Eyup Potters: A Tradition from 15th Century Istanbul to the Present
For centuries, the earthenware necessary for every day use in Istanbul was produced in Eyüp. All the objects essential to the population of Istanbul, including items as diverse as the plates and cups used in soup kitchens, the special earthenware made for the palace, water jugs used in cemeteries, earthen flowerpots for garden usage, containers to store dry grain, and large water jars, were produced by Eyüp potters who were able to continually meet changing demand by adapting their ware to different functions. Drawing on the results of surveys carried out in the district, research conducted in museums both in Turkey and abroad, and historical evidence, Prof. Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu presents the Eyüp pottery tradition and discusses how it survived for so many years.