INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction Is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor qualify illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6' x 9' black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Bayan Gonul Ertem 2000 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DANCING TO MODERNITY: Cultural Politics of Cherkess Nationhood in the Heartland of Turkey Approved by Dissertation Committee: PJLJL ft - T&w-*— ■l C~~ 3- Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DANCING TO MODERNITY: Cultural Politics of Cherkess Nationhood in the Heartland of Turkey by Bayan Gonul Ertem, B.Sc., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor o f Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2000 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 9992784 Copyright 2000 by Ertem, Bayan Gonul All rights reserved. _ ___ _ (§) UMI UMI Microform 9992784 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedication for Samiye and Mustafa Zeki Ertem, my parents and for James and Judy Brow Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments: Many years went by in the process of producing this ethnography, so the list of friends, family members and colleagues who contributed to its making or patiently waited for its completion is long and inevitably incomplete. My deepest gratitude for the accomplishment of my dissertation project goes to James Brow. It is not easy to convey my appreciation for James Brow’s generosity with his time, his interest and patience, his sharp criticism, and his unfailing support and encouragement. From the early days of my project’s conception in a research proposal to the last draft of the final ethnographic text, I benefited from James’s incisive comments, relentless challenges to my textual explorations, and moral and intellectual support for its completion. For my intellectual formation, I am deeply indebted to him, his teachings, his faith in my passion for anthropology, and his mentorship. I am also deeply grateful to Robert Femea, my co-chair and advisor for many years, for always challenging my intellectual orientation while simultaneously participating in its new directions and extending his support, even from worlds apart, through every V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. possible medium available. I am very thankful to Elizabeth Wamock Femea for her persistent support and encouragement. When I first read Guests o f the Sheikh in the 1980s, it was unthinkable for me, as an anthropologist, to put my own ethnographic presence in print. Robert Femea and Elizabeth Wamock Femea have left their imprint on me in many ways, sometimes not readily apparent to me. Their warmth and hospitality, however, was apparent the first week I arrived in the United States and continued all throughout my graduate school life in Austin. Their enthusiasm for and success in advancing studies of Middle Eastern societies are hard to follow. Other members of my dissertation committee have inspired me in many ways. Douglas E. Foley's repeated counsel at the initial stages of my writing, Kamala Visweswaran's support and encouragement of my ethnographic explorations, and Pauline Strong's generosity in sharing her immense knowledge of the literature and pushing for unexplored analytic connections have been invaluable. I have learned a lot from Victoria Holbrook’s scholarship, support of my work, and friendship over the years. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I am grateful to all of my committee members for giving me a memorable defence and engaging my ethnographic explorations with challenging questions. Judy Brow and Elizabeth Wamock Femea were extraordinarily generous in making that rite of passage a precious memory. I am grateful to De Ann Pendry, Kathleen Murphy, Jennifer Burtner, Jeff Donnell, Jay Clark, Jenny White and Louise Meintjes for their comments, criticism, support, and friendship during various stages of the writing process. I appreciate Sally Cole's editorial suggestions while writing an article during this process. I have greatly benefited from the friendship and critical comments of Sharon Ba§tug, Pelin Ba§ci, Emanula Guano, Nukhet Sirman, Sultan Tepe and Barbara Wolbert. Bahattin Ak§it, Akile Gursoy, Ay§e KDrtung, Zulal Balpinar, Fazil Tekin and Henry Selby also helped me during the initial research or writing stages of my ethnography, in Turkey and in the United States. The fieldwork was made possible by funds from the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council and Middle East Research Competition. I am most grateful for their generous support. My vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. research and studies have also been assisted by support and funding from the Department of Anthropology, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and International Office at the University of Texas at Austin. I am most grateful to the officials, faculty and staff at these institutions as well as those at the Anadolu University in Eski§ehir and in various offices in Turkey. I sincerely appreciate their contributions to the making of this ethnography. Darlene Gavenda, the late Turhan Baraz, Tim and Carolyn Armstrong, Yildiray Erdener, Sabri Dinger, Susan Lane, Marjorie Payne, Tara Hopkins, Linda Odom, Hillary Hutchinson, Deane Willis, Annes McCann-Baker, Diane Watts and Celeste Neathery are just a few whose names I can list here. Michael Woost and Diane Woost have been incredibly supportive since our very first encounter. I cherish their friendship and support. The research itself would not have been possible if it were not for the worm hospitality and generosity of the Cherkess people and their enthusiastic support of it. My fieldwork is a fond memory, to say the least. The Cherkess individuals, families and their various members, to whom I owe my deepest gratitude, will remain nameless, as a token of my respect v iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. for their personal names and the individual and familial fame of all the Cherkess who have contributed to it. Although some Cherkess may find traces of themselves and their experiences in the following text, in accordance with the old Cherkess convention that enforced or encouraged every outsider to re-name every member of a household, I renamed all the individuals, following the conventions in terms of address currently used in Turkey. A few public figures whose assistance and support have been invaluable are Murat Pap§u, Sonmez Baykan and Hayri Ersoy. Finally, I thank my parents, Samiye Ertem and Zeki Ertem, and other close members of my family for their love and support, particularly Emel Pekmezci, Akif Pekmezci, Cengiz Qetin and Meral Qetin. My mother’s family stories planted seeds of anthropological inquiry early in my childhood. My father did not endure the long process to see where my interest has taken me. I dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Samiye Ertem and the late Zeki Ertem. Judy Brow and James Brow opened their home to me during a particularly stressful time in my life. Words cannot express my gratitude for their personal support then and throughout the ix Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. years I have known them. I also dedicate my dissertation to you, James and