Study Guide for David Kushner, "Turkish Culture"
David Kushner teaches Ottoman history at Haifa University in Israel.
Earlier in his book, Kushner talks about history and language as essential
ingredients in the development of national consciousness and nationalism.
In this chapter he moves to literature, art and music along with more general
"customs" of the "folk." In most discussions of nationalism,
historians focus on the first group of topics and seldom reach the second.
What exactly does he believe were so important to Turkish nationalist
thinkers about literature, art and music? What were the main issues before
them?
What did the Turkish writers mean by "civilized Turk"?