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this language can develop a rich literature. Russia engaged in politics through the
Caucasus for a long time made Kumuks forget their language, identity, culture and
assimilate them. But fortunately Kumuksma still contest against this policy. And
with great effort keep their language and culture.
Key words: Kumuk, kumuk language kumuk folk-lore kumuk literature, kumuk
culture, Northern Caucasus, Russia
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A GUIDE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN TURKEY: AN
EXAMPLE OF HOSPITALITY?
Darko Radic
1.
Introduction
Globalization has made the World look like a single organism, particularly
from the perspective of human mobility. In the era of globalization, the mobility
among young people who are going abroad for high education purposeis especially
advanced. In such circumstances youth is facing cultural adaptation process to the
new cultural surroundings. We have witnessed recently, as in many countries,
opening of the Turkish society especially when it comes to welcoming the interna-
tional students at their Universities. Today Turkey is facing internationalization of
its high education in which interculturality becomes increasingly important concept
for their high education system.
Untill 2011 foreign students had the opportunity to win Turkish Government
Scholarship based on the results achieved on the TCS exam (Türk Cumhuriyetleri
ile Türk ve Akraba Toplulukları Sınavı). In January 2012, the Republic of Turkey
transformed the old and introduced the new Turkish Scholarships programover
Department Turks Abroad and Related Communities (Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba
Topluluklar Bakanlığı). In 2013 the Department Turks Abroad and Related
Communities via Turkish Scholarship official web site published the "Türkiye
Scholarships Holder’s Guide" for all international students in Turkey.
In the Turkish Scholarships Holder’s Guide there are two main chapters. The
first one is "Before Arriving in Turkey" which contains the information about
scholarship agreement, visa procedures, travel planning etc. The second part is
"After Arriving in Turkey" and contains information on accommodation issues,
enrolment to Universities, procedures regarding the residence permit, health
insurance, bank account etc. Beside mentioned information there is also part called
the "Cultural Adaptation Process" which attempts to provide guidance to how
foreign students can adapt themselves to Turkish cultural environment. This
brochure is really important because it is printed and published for all foreign
students who are coming into the Turkey.
Turkish Scholarship (Türkiye Bursları) is directly financed by the Turkish
Government and represents the biggest foundation in Turkey for international
students. Since the Turkish Government is elected by citizens, who are at the same
time represented by that government, it is really important to understand how they
look at the others (international or foreign students) and at the same time how they
try to present themselves in this brochure. Government representatives come from
particular culture and they carry certain norms and values of their own culture to
which they belong. If we look at the government as a representative of society as a
whole, we could come to the conclusion that their values and discourses, which we
can find in the mentioned brochure, represent the standing point and values of entire
cultural space and the general attitude of the vast majority of Turkish citizens.
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In the process of internationalization of high education and multiplying
mobility among international students it is necessary to indicate the importance of
inclusion of foreign students in education system and improving the relations
between "locals" and the "guests" (Dervin, 2011). Internationalization of high
education and the large influx of international students placed in front of us the task
of hospitality which at the same time contributes to necessary reexamination of the
ethnocentric discourses about "self" and the "others".
This article examines the document, Turkish Scholarships Holder’s Guide,
which is dedicated to all international students in Turkey and focus upon the
following question: How is the concept of hospitality incorporated in the brochure?
The brochure for foreign students attempts to provide guidance to how to adapt to
the Turkish cultural environment. The theoretical framework deeply relies upon the
Jacques Derrida's concept of hospitality defined as "inviting and welcoming the
stranger. " (Derrida, 2000)
Paper attention willrelay upon the intercultural education in Turkish high
education system in attempt to analyze the relations and dichotomies between "us"
and "them". Analysis is focused on the significance of hospitality concept in the
intercultural education and the friendship as one of its core values. Approach for
examination of interculturality in education is constructivist, critical and relies upon
the pragmatic discursive analysis of the brochure as a guide for adaptation to the new
cultural surrounding.
The current document available to all international students in Turkey
provides basic information which aim to help them adapt and integrate themselvesin
the Turkish culture. I will examine the construction of discourses about the
hospitality in the brochure: the "others" or "guests" (International students) on one
side and the "us" or "hosts" (Turkish citizens)on the other side. Since the cultural
adaptation process is the central to the examination in this paper, the goal is to show
how those discourses can provide better understanding of Turkish culture and help
international students realize the necessary requirements for becoming the integral
part of the new cultural frame. Besides that, focus will be also on analyzing the
reversible auto-reflection image of "hosts", which in an effort to introduce its own
cultural frame show the certain concerns to not to be judged by the "guests".
2.
Hospitality: conceptualizing relations with the other
Hospitality, conceptualized by Jacques Derrida, is often presented as an un-
conditional and universal concept contained in all civilizations. (Derrida and Dufour-
mantelle, 2008) "Absolute orunconditional hospitality is the universal singularity
without imperative, order or duty". (Westmoreland, 2008, p. 3)Derrida defines
hospitality as ethics and ethics as hospitality. Therefore they become the inseparable
concepts, they become one. It is impossible to remove the hospitality from the ethics;
it is the foundation or "the whole and the principle of ethics". (Robert Bernasconi,
1988, p. 135) Derrida, the philosopher, argues that the idea of hospitality means that
the host has to give up security and authority and become the "hostage", which in
the sense leads to "welcoming the infinite". (Derrida 2000, pp. 14-16) "The low of