Memory, Conviviality and Coexistence: Negotiating Class Differences in Burgazadasi, Istanbul

Deniz Neriman Duru

Abstract

The article explores the narratives and memories of past diversity and current practices of conviviality to investigate how class, lifestyle and tastes affect the daily interactions between people belonging to different ethno-religious backgrounds. This chapter critiques ‘coexistence’ as a concept that postulates cohesion and conflict as rooted in ethnic and religious differences. It suggests ‘conviviality’ as the production of space, by arguing that hard times, tensions as well as sensorial pleasures produce a sense of belonging in a place, through shared ways of living. While memories of ‘coexistence’ emphasize the fragmentation of people into ethnic and religious groups as a consequence of the homogenization process in the post-Ottoman Turkish context, bitter sweet memories of conviviality create a sense of belonging to Burgaz.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPost-Ottoman Coexistence : Sharing Space in the Shadow of Conflict
EditorsRebecca Bryant
Number of pages23
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherBerghahn Books
Publication date15 Mar 2016
Pages157-179
Chapter6
ISBN (Print)978-1-78533-124-4
ISBN (Electronic)978-1-78533-125-1
Publication statusPublished - 15 Mar 2016
SeriesSpace and place
Volume16

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