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Join ANAR DANA as we continue to explore 3 cultures and their changing national experiences and identities following the fall of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
February 15th, 2026 we will continue with the the Greek-Turkish population exchange following WWI and the emergence of the Greek musical style Rebetiko.
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens rebetiko was used as a symbol of the Greek cultural heritage, but not long ago, it was scorned distained by Greek nationalists, official state
ideologues, as well as Leftists, who all thought that it was a filthy product of the underworld and an undesirable Anatolian remnant from the Ottoman Empire. Rebetiko is one of several musical styles (such as tango, fado, and flamenco) that were despised by
local elites but later became symbols of national culture. Rebetiko is an intercultural musical genre with musical elements of the multicultural cosmopolitan urban traditions of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and other peoples of Ottoman cities and rural Asia Minor
as well as from Europe. Originally rebetiko was associated with marginalized people in brothels, tekedhes (hashish dens), and café-amans in the urban centers of Asia Minor (mainly in Constantinople and Smyrna) and the sea ports of Greece. The lyrics talked
about love, pain, sorrow, and hedonism, and was colored by slang. Today rebetiko is a national symbol and mainstream music that also attracts foreign tourists, scholars, students and bohemians to bouzouki taverns. The attitudes of Greeks to their popular
music reflect the country’s position between Orient and Occident, eastern Orthodox Christianity and the European secular tradition, or between Asia Minor and Europe.
In January we began with the emerging Turkish idendity, particularly of the Zeybek Culture of Aegean Turkey, through the Turkish War of Independence and the formation of national culture following the founding of the Turkish Republic.
We continued with the Armenian people, their loss of homeland and genocide and their multi-faceted diaspora experiences with special attention on the Armenian diaspora communities in Fresno, California.
Both of these Cultural Talks is now available as a recording.
Each of these ANAR DANA Cultural Talks is a stand-alone lecture, but taken all together will provide a truely profound understanding of the region and its diasporas.
Join us on ZOOM by registering using the link on my homepage.
Looking forward to seeing you!
If you can't join us live you can still register for access to the recording.
Also check out the large library of Cultural Talk recordings available on my website.
Helene
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