Alafranga and alaturca are musical and cultural concepts specific to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and its people. The terms describe a distinction between

Western culture Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the Cultural heritage, internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompas ...

and

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

culture in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. The labels are now considered outdated, but are useful in understanding Ottoman and Turkish cultural history.Eric Ederer, ''The Cümbüş as Instrument of “the Other” in Modern Turkey''
/ref> Historically, alafranga and alaturca were adjectives to differentiate between

and

culture in the context of things such as clothing, food and decor. During this time food fusion had some of its most pivotal years because of alafranga and alaturca being so intertwined. Alaturca and alafranga were also competing music genres in the Turkish Republic in the 1920s and 1930s, after the Ottoman Empire was dissolved. Alaturka was associated with the classical music of the Ottoman Empire, while alafranga was associated with European classical music, along with other western music forms penetrating the country.Cardiff University School of Music, ''Meet our PhD supervisors: Dr John Morgan O'Connell''
/ref> * ''Alafranga'' is music or other cultural expression in an adopted western or European style (with its own tradition). The term comes from Italian "alla franca". * ''Alaturka'' is music or other cultural expression in a traditional Turkish style. From Italian "alla turca".University of Illinois Press, ''Ethnomusicology'', Vol. 49, No. 2 (Spring/Summer, 2005), pp. 177–205, John Morgan O'Connell, ''In the Time of Alaturka: Identifying Difference in Musical Discourse''.
/ref> The contrast is also found in toilets: is a

squat toilet A squat toilet (or squatting toilet) is a toilet used by Squatting defecation posture, squatting, rather than sitting defecation posture, sitting. This means that the posture for defecation and urination is to place one foot on each side of the t ...

, is a flush toilet.

Ottoman references

Ahmet Mithat Ahmet Mithat (c. 1844 – 28 December 1912) was an Ottoman journalist, author, translator and publisher during the Tanzimat period. In scholarship, he is typically referred to as Ahmet Mithat Efendi to distinguish him from the contemporary poli ...

: ''Felatun Bey and Rakım Efendi'': This Ottoman novel defines alafranga and alaturka as, "The term alafranga is French-Ottoman composite of the French "à la" and "franga", meaning "Frank" or "European" more generally. Alafranga thus means "in a European mode". The term alaturka follows the same French-Ottoman composite pattern and conversely means "in a Turkish or Ottoman mode".

Ottoman references

References

See also