Erik CP6

Since Ozan and I couldn’t figure out a better place to meet, we just ended up meeting at school for our second meeting. He went onto say how he liked that I was interested in anthropology and he was always interested in it as well. This sparked a conversation about current politics in the Middle East, and he said how he was scared for Turkey falling into the same trap as the reforming countries, although Turkey is in a very different position than a lot of other countries in the Middle East. He expressed distress towards traditional Muslims in Turkey, and he said how he wanted more modern approaches to be taken in Turkey, although I had always viewed Turkey as a relatively modern state already. After having a few conversations with Ozan about traditional Muslims, I definitely get the feeling he has an ax to grind with fundamentalists.

I mentioned something about Kurdish people I had met at a cultural conference I attended, and he automatically lit up. He was a Kurd! He knows the Kurdish language, as well as many of the traditional dances and cuisine of the Kurdish people. We spent the next half of our meeting talking about Kurdish differences in Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq, and what an Independent Kurdistan could mean for the Middle East. Ozan felt that the Turkish Kurds were way more privileged than many others, but they were still considered a minority in Turkey. He was split down the middle for an Independent Kurdistan though. He felt loyal to his country as a Turk, but also to his family and heritage as a Kurd.

Overall, by the end of our session, I was excited about how much familiar (as well as unfamiliar ground) we had covered! I’m excited for our next meeting.