One potential research topic that I may focus on is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque). The mosque is an ancient piece of Turkish (although at the time it was the Ottoman Empire) history, constructed from 1609-1616 following Ottoman defeat in the Persian War. The interior of the mosque is decorated with hand-painted, exquisite blue tiles and, although a tourist attraction, the site still functions as a mosque today. For the presentation upon this cultural topic, I am considering giving a virtual tour of the Blue Mosque while at the same time detailing commonly used words and phrases around the mosque (remove your shoes, please lower your voice, etc). While this topic is intriguing to me, I worry that it is a much too popular choice and that by using it, I will be in some way taking the easy way out.
Another potential research topic I have been considering is the Turkish National Symphony. Given that I am a musician myself, and I know a Turkish bassist who attended the Turkish Music Conservatory School and now lives in Richmond, I feel like this may be a better (or at least more authentic) choice. I could not only explain the founding of the Turkish National Symphony but I could also explain how Western music has become such an integral part of Turkish culture. I may also try to get into contact with the Turkish bassist I know and attempt to interview them for this project. However, doing so may result in a shift in focus from Turkish Orchestra to Turkish Conservatory (which is much more specific and less likely to be considered a purely cultural topic). One interesting thing to note is that while Turkey itself is a relatively new country (1923), it has a very well established musical presence (especially for Western/classical music). If I end up picking this topic, some of the potential words and phrases I might elaborate on are those related to orchestra (finding your seat, how to ask for the bathroom at intermission, the various instrument sections in the orchestra as well as phrases for indicating tempo or dynamics, round of applause, etc). So far, this seems to be my favored option going forward on the project. However, if I am not able to interview my contact, or find that the Turkish National Symphony is not nearly as interesting as I thought (a very unlikely option) then I may instead move forward with the Blue Mosque.
Comments
Both of these topics are very interesting and very important to Turkish culture. The phrases you are considering will also serve you well if you ever travel to Turkey since these are commonly used expressions and questions. Knowing these will help you to get around in the country and to be respectful to the culture.
These are very interesting topics, Matthew, but I suspect it will be difficult to connect them. If you had to pick either the Blue Mosque or the Turkish National Symphony, what would your preference be? The role of performance etiquette also seems relevant to the latter.