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hospitality is absolute and in that it requires one to give all one has to another without
asking any question, imposing any restriction, or requiring any compensation.
Absolute hospitality involves neither the governance or duty nor the payment of
debt". (Westmoreland 2008, p. 3) In this sense "hospitality is absolute, unconditional
without the sovereignty". (Derrida 2005, p. 59)
As universities worldwide are welcoming more and more people from
abroad, the idea of hospitality has become more central than ever in global higher
education. (Dervin & Layne, 2013) Derrida made distinction between unconditional
and conditional hospitality. Unconditional hospitality is something what needs to
come, the highest ethical goal that is at same time unreachable and impossible. Thus,
as Derrida (2000) observed, there is always a little hostility in all hosting and
hospitality, constituting what he called "the certain hospitality". If there is "one",
there is always "another", there is "host" and the "guest, there is "us" and the "others".
The binary polarity in our language, our bricks of constitutional thought always
contain thecertain asymmetry. Thus, the relation between the host and the guest is
not symmetrical, equally opposing one another. It is rather hierarchical, asym-
metrical regarding the power relations and embodied in conditions.
In the Turkish Scholarships Holder's Guide there is a clear distinction
between the "hosts” embodied in Turkish society and the "guests", term which
represents the international students. Those binary polarities are especially visible in
the next sentence:
"We would like to express that you are our guest in our country and
wish you that you will successfullycompleteyour studybenefitting from all
possibilities offered to you." (Türkiye Scholarships Holder's Guide, 2013,
p. 16)
According to this sustainment it is clear that the hospitality is offered
or given by the hosts (in this case the Turkish society) to the guest (international
students). At the same time noting that international students are "their" guest in
"their" country. Therefore, Turkey is not "our" country; it is "their" county. It is
highly visible that that "they" offer to themopportunity to studyat "their" universities,
hoping that it will be successfully completed.
It has already been indicated that in all conditional hospitality there must be
certain rights and rules arising from the power and sovereignty. Derrida himself
recognized that hospitality cannot be conceived without hostility and vice versa:
"there is no hospitality without the idea of power as it is based in rights, duties and
obligations". (Derrida 2000, p. 4) Therefore the guest is always the "Other" and
always under control of the host.
The international students in Turkey are selected, they were chosen and then
welcomed to come. After they are selected and before they come into the Turkey,
international students must fulfill certain obligation. Before the arrival they must
sign the Scholarship Agreement, finish the visa procedures and provide all required
documentation. (Türkiye Scholarships Holder's Guide, 2013, pp. 2-7) Conditional
hospitality also required the visa for crossing the border, and stepping into the
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otherness, into Turkey. They, international students, are someone who fulfilled the
initial expectation regarding the qualification capabilities. The hosts decide who will
get the invitation and who will enter into "their" country, into "their" cultural space,
into "their" home. The hostsalways have the exclusive rights to decide to whomthey
will offer their own welcomeness. So, there is always a certain power imbalance and
symbolic violence in hospitality and it can easily become inhospitable and prone to
hostility.
Derrida argues that the unconditional hospitality "appeals to the other
without condition. " (Derrida 2005, p. 153)"Absolute hospitality relies upon the
deafening silence between the ipse and the other. The host bequeaths a smile and
welcome the other without asking any question that would qualify as conditions of
hospitality" (Westmoreland 2008, p. 5)Since the host does not need to have right to
ask for name of the guest, it seems that the language of hospitality is nothing more
than the perfect singular silence. But, it is impossibility. Derrida noticed that the host
always demands that the guest is able to communicate with him, in foreign language.
Therefore, Derrida clams that the language is "the first violence to which foreigners
are subjected". (Derrida 2005, p. 68) Therefore, Derrida questioned, "Must we ask
the foreigner to understand us, to speak our language… before being able and so as
to be able to welcome him into our country?" (2007, p. 15)
Since common hospitality and understanding between us and others, host
and guest, involve and require linguistic communication (speaking), especially
foreign language is always the first violation of singularity. This thesis is conformed
in the Turkish Scholarships Holder's Guide for international student in Turkey. Since
the education at the Turkish Universities is largely in Turkish language, for
international students as an imperative requirement is emphasized the knowledge of
"their" Turkish language. That is particularly evident through the following sentence:
"Within the scope of Turkey Scholarships, each student has todocument
command of Turkish (including those to study at departments where the
medium of instruction is English". (Türkiye Scholarships Holder's Guide,
2013, p. 10)
For the international students in Turkey as "outsiders" or "guests" the language
is the example of the first type of violence which requires the assimilation of the
"selflessness" by the "otherness". "The guests are unable to be themselves; they must
transform their otherness". (O'Gorman 2006, p. 55) Therefore, the hospitality for
international students in Turkey is conditional, mainly regarding the language issues
and addressing the communication inequalities between the hosts and the guests,
between the Turkish society and international students.
In the academic mobility processthe task of understanding the otherness is
placed in front of students. At the same timevalues of involved people is questioned,
especially through the request for the language proficiency. They also, very often
contain not the identity building but rather the identity rebuilding. As Kathy Durkin
(2008) points out thatthe norms, freedom of expression, critical thinking and the
question of contextuality very often produce the problems and possibilities of