Date of Defense

6-2-2003

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. Bilinda Straight

Second Advisor

Dr. David Ede

Abstract

Ahmed and I had been underway all day. After the obligatory German breakfast of Brotchen (hard rolls) and cold cuts, we traveled by train to a nearby lake for the sunny half of the day. Berlin feels busier in August. The city's youth travel in fashioned droves to the myriad lakes and parks inside and around the city. Once we sufficiently completed the cycle of tanning on the grass, cooling off in the water, and then tanning again, we decided it was time to eat dinner. Ahmed gave me a proper introduction to Hackescher Hof, the trendy connection of courtyards where his apartment was. By 20:00 I was ready for a nap. But the most important event of the day was still to come: tonight Ahmed would introduce me to his Turkish, gay friends. I had known Ahmed as an acquaintance for six months, but I had seen him interact with other gay Turkishmen only once in a bar. I spent an overall seven months in Berlin attempting to grasp ethnographic information and detail about gay Turks. Although I had only 10 more days left in Berlin, this was the first time I was invited to a party where the people would be mostly gay Turks. Despite my exhaustion, Ahmed and I took the red U-Bahn 2 line to our destination: Muhammad's apartment.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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