After School - Week 4

Hello and welcome back! It has already been a month? Hard to believe! Well, let’s start!

Course Insights

• Our culture (Turkish culture) is rooted in oral tradition, not written. Even our theatre is meddah—one takes the floor and acts out the stories. Our written literature is fairly new (I will discuss it more in Week 5 because we will have some interesting readings on it that week!). We were discussing if deafs could communicate in the written language in the court cases. So the point is that, generally speaking, our written expression and comprehension are not the best in daily occurances (I don’t mean the literature, we have some awesome work and prominent authors!).
• Have you ever wondered how the Maliki school of thought spread to al-Andalus? It was thanks to scholars from al-Andalus traveling to the Hijaz for education, where Maliki teachings were prominent.
• Another intriguing topic was why capitalism didn’t emerge in China, despite having all the right conditions—manufacturing, inventions, etc. Such equations and discussions have always been discussed.
• Speaking of capitalism, England’s flourishing was due not only to geographical explorations but also to its embrace of capitalism. While Spain and Portugal were quick to join the race, the real beneficiaries ended up being England and France.

• In my Spanish translation course, I learned two new expressions: músculo is a key identifier, used in phrases like “músculo financiero” or “músculo político”. Apparently, English language uses muscle in this context too. Well, I’ve just learned that :) Second expression is apostar por. If you use only apostar it means to bet. Apostar por is to side with.

WTW

La passion de Dodin Bouffant / The Taste of Things / Şeflerin Aşkı

The movie France nominated for Oscar instead of The Anatomy of A Fall...

This week, I watched The Taste of Things by Tràn Anh Hùn, a beautifully French film that dives into the connection between Dodin, a passionate cook, and Eugénie, his steadfast partner in the kitchen. Their bond unfolds through delicate, visually stunning scenes, where cooking feels like an art form. The quiet, natural sounds of the kitchen add intimacy, highlighting their shared passion.

The film goes beyond food, exploring how it becomes an extension of self-expression and connection. I wrote a more detailed review for the movie, which is available here.

WTR

I am reading a special issue of the journal “Derin Tarih (Profound History) on al-Andalus! From an article in that issue, I learned about the translation institutes in the 12th century, where Jewish scholars translated Arabic knowledge into Latin with the support of Christian kings and the Pope. These translations were pivotal for the development of universities in Europe and played a key role in shifting medieval Christianity from dogma to reason-based thinking. Without them, the Renaissance and Enlightenment would have been impossible!

I am also reading the book Güvercin Gerdanlığı (The Dove’s Neck Ring) by an Andalusian author Ibn Hazm, recommended by my professor for History of Islam in Iberia. Yes, I am completely surrounded by al-Andalus these days! No me quejo tho :)

Anything New?

This Sunday, I visited the Kariye and learned more about Christian history and the spread of icons. Some Christians even consider Kariye better than Hagia Sophia in terms of iconography. There is a lot to talk about, but in order not to make this post way too long, I want to touch upon one of the topics discussed, that is the reform in Christianity. Although we often think of reform as starting in the 16th century, the first Christian reform dates back to the 7th century with the Iconoclasm. At that time, religious leaders tried to remove depictions they believed Jesus never endorsed. That is why we do not have the icons from those years.

14-20 October