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Dissolution of Craft in the Context of Ethnicity, Gender and Class: Gold and Silversmithing in Mardin and Trabzon, Turkey

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Dissolution of Craft in the Context of Ethnicity, Gender and Class: Gold and Silversmithing in Mardin and Trabzon, Turkey DISSOLUTION OF CRAFT IN THE CONTEXT OF ETHNICITY, GENDER AND CLASS: GOLD AND SILVERSMITHING IN MARDIN AND TRABZON, TURKEY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MEHTAP TOSUN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AUGUST 2018 iii I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: Mehtap Tosun Signature : iii ABSTRACT DISSOLUTION OF CRAFT IN THE CONTEXT OF ETHNICITY, GENDER AND CLASS: GOLD AND SILVERSMITHING IN MARDİN AND TRABZON, TURKEY Tosun, Mehtap Ph.D., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gündüz Hoşgör August 2016, 260 pages The aim of this thesis is to examine the dissolution of the craft of gold and silversmithing in two cities in Turkey, Mardin and Trabzon, by focusing on the boundaries between state politics, ethnicity, class and gender as results of the social and historical processes in Turkey. This study is based on the assumption that the reasons of the dissolution of craft include historical turning points which pave the way for modernization, nation-state formation and the advance of industrialization. Taking these arguments as a starting point, this study traces the mechanisms of the dissolution of craft-based production in terms of boundaries of state power, ethnicity, class and gender. Within the aforementioned dynamics, the study explores both the dissolution of gold and silver smithing as craft and also as survival strategies of craftspeople in Mardin and Trabzon. In line with this aim, semi-structured, in-depth and life story interviews were held with the gold-silver craftspeople in Mardin and Trabzon, and the research findings serve as the primary source of information for this study. Based on these interviews, the study claimed that nation-state formation, capitalist modernization and advance of industrialization both lead to the formation of ethnic, gender and class boundaries in craft and also accelerated the dissolution process. As a result, research aims to present a different perspective to the mainstream craft history of Turkey as the dominant view that relates the dissolution of craft only to the progress of the advances in industry by exploring reasons of dissolution of gold-silver smithing. iv Keywords: Dissolution of Craft, Boundaries in Craft, State Politics, Capitalist Modernization, Industrialization. v ÖZ ZANAATIN ETNİSİTE, TOPLUMSAL CİNSİYET VE SINIF BAĞLAMINDA ÇÖZÜLÜŞÜ : TÜRKİYE, MARDİN VE TRABZON’DA ALTIN VE GÜMÜŞ İŞLEMECİLİĞİ Tosun, Mehtap Doktora, Sosyoloji Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gündüz Hoşgör August 2018, 260 sayfa Bu tezin amacı, Türkiye’nin toplumsal ve tarihsel süreçlerinin sonucunda ortaya çıkan devlet politikaları, etnisite, sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet arasındaki sınırlara odaklanarak Mardin ve Trabzon kentlerindeki altın ve gümüş işleme zanaatının çözülüşünü incelemektir. Bu çalışma, zanaatın çözülmesinin nedenini ulus-devlet oluşumuna, sanayileşmenin ilerlemesi ve modernleşmeye ve bunların zeminin tarihsel dönüm noktalarını içerdiği varsayımına dayandırmaktadır. Bu argümanları başlangıç noktası olarak ele alan bu çalışma, zanaat temelli üretimin devlet gücü, etnisite, sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet sınırları açısından çözülme mekanizmalarının izini sürmektedir. Sözü edilen bu dinamikler içerisinde, çalışma, hem Mardin ve Trabzon'daki altın ve gümüş işlemeciliği zanaatının çözülüşünü, hem de bu zanaatın zanaatkârlarının ayakta kalma stratejilerini araştırmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda Mardin ve Trabzon'da altın-gümüş zanaatkarları ile yarı yapılandırılmış, derinlemesine ve yaşam öyküsü görüşmeleri yapılmış, araştırma bulguları bu çalışma için temel bilgi kaynağını teşkil etmiştir. Bu görüşmelere dayanarak, çalışma, ulus-devlet oluşumunun, kapitalist modernleşmenin ve sanayileşmenin ilerlemesinin hem zanaat içinde etnik, toplumsal cinsiyet ve sınıf sınırlarının oluşmasına yol açtığını hem de zanaatın çözülmesini hızlandırdığını iddia etmektedir. Sonuç olarak, bu araştırma, Mardin ve Trabzon'daki altın-gümüş işlemeciliğinin çözülüşünün nedenlerini araştırarak Türkiye’nin zanaat tarihinin ana akımına (zanaatın çözülüşünü yanlızca vi endüstrileşmenin ilerlemesiyle ilişkilendiren hakim görüşe) farklı bir perspektif sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Zanaatın Çözülüşü, Zanaat İçerisindeki Sınırlar, Devlet Politikaları, Kapitalist Modernleşme, Endüstrileşme vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the course of researching and writing this thesis, there has been experienced very hard times for the critical academic community and world of thought in Turkey. Except this, the state of being unable to tolerate the critical knowledge and adherence to the dogma in the academic environments in Turkey stands as a reality in itself. Unfortunately, I experienced both of these situations throughout my Ph.D. process. During times of intimidation, disappointment and despair my supervisor, Ayşe Gündüz Hoşgör, has consistently encouraged me in continuing my study, boosted my enthusiasm for producing critical knowledge and helped me in restoring my hope for the future. She never let his enthusiasm for this thesis waver, and without that support I may not have undertaken this thesis, let alone completed it. She has been an outstanding mentor and friend, and has believed and supported me in every way. I have had the privilege to meet and benefit from her as mentor in every sense. My thesis defense committee members Suavi Aydın, Nesim Şeker, Çağatay Topal and Kurtuluş Cengiz meticulously read the final draft of my study and provided constructive feedback to me. I am thankful to them for their critical comments and for helping me enhancing my arguments in the thesis. I feel very fortunate to have met E.J.Zürcher during my six months long study visit to the University of Leiden in 2016 as a visiting researcher. I was then trying to shape historical chapter of my thesis during this period. Special thanks goes out to Martin V. Bruinessen for his good support and interest as a mentor and friend. I would also like to express my gratitude to the diligent and helpful staff and research environment of the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam. I have many special people in my life to thank for their support, interest, and help in the preparation of this thesis. I have been very lucky considering the endless support and companionship offered by my friend Yeşim Mutlu, Eren Kırmızıaltın, Fatma Torun, Zöhre Benli and Elif Uyar Mura who all provided support in every sphere of research and life. I wish to express my special thanks to Çağlar Dölek and Volkan viii Deli. Finally, I would like to thank Sümercan Bozkurt for her technical and emotional help in the last and most forcible phase of the thesis. Most importantly, I have to thank the respondents and participant of this research that I interviewed for their trust in confiding to me some of their most sensitive memories. And, finally, I wish to express my endless thanks to my mother, Fatma Erenoğlu for her unconditional support and love in all phases of my life. She is the person who has taught me the stay strong and fight against difficulties as a woman. I would also thank Yoldaş Tosun, I feel very lucky to have in my life as a brother and friend. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM...........................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ .............................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................ 1 1.2 Significance of the Study ................................................................................. 6 1.3 Methodology .................................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 Historical Analysis ............................................................................... 10 1.3.2 Qualitative Analysis ............................................................................. 12 1.3.2.1 Life Story/History .................................................................... 14 1.4 The Plan Of The Dissertation ........................................................................ 17 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF DISSOLUTION OF CRAFT ................... 20 2.1 The History of Craft ..................................................................................... 21 2.1.1 The Movements Between Craft and Art .............................................. 24 2.1.2 The Dichotomies Between Craft and Art on Today ............................ 29 2.1.3 The Craft of Gold and Silver
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