Turquerie

Process in the 18th century, in which Great Britain was especially influenced by Ottoman products, arts, writings and ideas that created new trends in the domains of music, beauty, fashion, architecture and many more (Bevilacqua and Pfeifer 76, 115). Scholars such as Eve R. Meyer describe turquerie as being “in fashion” at that time and claim: “For an evening’s entertainment, one might attend the theater to see the latest play or opera based on a Turkish theme or go to a masked ball wearing an elaborate Turkish costume. At home, one might relax in a Turkish robe while smoking Turkish tobacco, eating Turkish candy, and reading an ever-popular Turkish tale” (Meyer 474, Öğünç 250).

Orientalism and its Effect on Turquerie

It can be described as some sort of “cultural transfer” between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire (115). It was not just an imitation of the culture, however (115). Bevilacqua and Pfeifer describe the process as relying on “a European sense of translatability of Ottoman culture” and the trends in Great Britain as a “translation” of Ottoman culture (115). The British often brought their own way of interpreting Ottoman culture when indulging in it, which resulted in using stereotypes and strongly simplifying Turkish identity, which is due to orientalist notions of the East (Öğünç 247-258). Often the Ottoman Empire is reduced to what Edward Said calls “a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting memories and landscapes, remarkable experiences” (Said 1, cf. Öğünç 247).

Turquerie in comparison to other Eastern cultural influences

Besides turquerie, other Asian cultures such as Chinese culture also influenced British culture, which was called chinoiserie (115). In both turquerie and chinoiserie goods are imported and the way they are consumed due to both cultural spheres being seen as civilized empires by the British at the time and both processes focus especially on women’s pastime activities and the consumption of goods (116). Chinoiserie, however, just remained a trend in the sphere of decoration, whilst turquerie also had a great impact in the domains of “paintings, tapestries, plays, operas and novels”, according to Bevilacqua and Pfeifer and is therefore more significant (116).

Works Cited

Bevilacqua, Alexander, and Helen Pfeifer. “Turquerie: Culture in Motion, 1650–1750.” Past & Present, no. 221, 2013, pp. 75–118.

Meyer, Eve R. “Turquerie and Eighteenth-Century Music.” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 7, no. 4, 1974, pp. 474–88.

ÖĞÜNÇ, Banu. "Sources of Orientalism: Tracing Ottoman Empire in British Mind/ŞARKİYATÇILIĞIN KAYNAKLARI: BRITANYALI ZİHNİNDE OSMANLI İMPARATORLUĞUNUN İZİNİ SÜRMEK." Selçuk Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi [Çevrimiçi], vol. 1, no. 44, 2018, pp. 245-257.

Said, Edward W. Orientalism. Pantheon Books, 1978.