Spring Ahead.
Dear Friends and Family,
Hello all! I had a very good study week this last week, so I thought I would reward myself with some long overdue blog writing time. This has been a very quiet and cold winter in Wisconsin, but it has been punctuated by some fun events. (Below, Bucky basks in a sunny spot on the carpet)
One fun thing I got to do was to go to back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Jim paid for my hotel and airfare as a Christmas gift. We were joined on our trip by our Madison friends Roger, Tim, and Ed. We got a great deal on an ocean-front hotel room, although Jim complained that the crashing of the waves was too loud at our particular spot on the beach. Poor Jim. (First below, the view northward from our hotel room balcony; second below, a sculptural repose for me on the Malecon; third below, the view south from the hotel room balcony)
Later in February we got to celebrate my mom Rose's ... birthday and my dad Don's 80th birthday at my sister Lisa's house in Colfax, Wisconsin. Of course, both the trip to Mexico and the trip to Colfax were punctuated by random snow falls that I had to work -- in an otherwise snow-free winter. Dad continued the celebration of his milestone by embarking on a solo journey to visit Uncle Bob in Atlanta and Aunt Jane in Ocala, Florida in his new/used Sienna minivan. (First below, the crashing of heavy waves on Las Olas Altas beach; second below, from left to right, Roger, Ed, Tim, myself, and Jim from the rooftop of the Blue Chairs; third below, another sculptural moment)
My major preoccupation this winter is the impending completion of my dissertation, of course. Knock on wood. I have just worked the last of my primary research into my draft. My primary materials are comprised of 2000 pages Ottoman Turkish court records and statistical annuals for Ottoman sancak (sub-province) of Tokat from the years 1858 to 1876. In my dissertation, I am studying how Tokat's political economy changed during this period in response to administrative reforms and the region's gradual incorporation into the global economy. Ultimately, I will argue the urban social transformations of this period in provincial towns like Tokat allowed for the creation of a new middle class in Anatolia. This middle class added valuable human capital to the Ottoman polity as its traditional state structure struggled to cope with the exigencies of political modernism. After the collapse of the Empire in the wake of Ottoman military defeat during the First World War, the Anatolian provincial middle class mobilized its resources patriotically on behalf of an inchoate and revolutionary-nationalistic Turkish state. In decades that followed, Turkey retained the distinction of having been the only major Muslim state to have escaped direct European colonization, largely as a result of its Ottoman legacy of broad-based partipatory politics in the provinces, and it shone as a beacon of political pragmatism over the course of the 20th century. I will further argue that, contrary to prevailing notions on 19th-century Ottoman statecraft, it was the state's willingness to cultivate local representative governance, rather than its drive to centralization, that allowed it to survive and thrive during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (First below, Jim climbs; second below, momma monster cries for her young; third below, the leaning belfry of P.V.?)
Anyways, I have started to work out the timeline for completing my defense with my advisor and graduate coordinator. I should present my dissertation to committee of five faculty in a three-hour session some appointed time in mid to late May. I will then revise my dissertation according to their critiques before I deposit a copy of my dissertation for binding at the UW Memorial Library by June 10th. Jim and I are planning on throwing a graduation party here in Madison on Saturday, June 19th, so stay posted! (First below, it's a real picture, not a backdrop! Second below, zip lining over the jungle; third below, the jungle near Mismaloya)
Although a little more snow money would be nice, Jim and I are getting spring fever. The days have gotten noticeably longer. The weather has turned sunnier and milder. So let's move on and "spring ahead" already! (Below, this year's P.V. crew)
Until next time, best wishes,
Hello all! I had a very good study week this last week, so I thought I would reward myself with some long overdue blog writing time. This has been a very quiet and cold winter in Wisconsin, but it has been punctuated by some fun events. (Below, Bucky basks in a sunny spot on the carpet)
One fun thing I got to do was to go to back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Jim paid for my hotel and airfare as a Christmas gift. We were joined on our trip by our Madison friends Roger, Tim, and Ed. We got a great deal on an ocean-front hotel room, although Jim complained that the crashing of the waves was too loud at our particular spot on the beach. Poor Jim. (First below, the view northward from our hotel room balcony; second below, a sculptural repose for me on the Malecon; third below, the view south from the hotel room balcony)
Later in February we got to celebrate my mom Rose's ... birthday and my dad Don's 80th birthday at my sister Lisa's house in Colfax, Wisconsin. Of course, both the trip to Mexico and the trip to Colfax were punctuated by random snow falls that I had to work -- in an otherwise snow-free winter. Dad continued the celebration of his milestone by embarking on a solo journey to visit Uncle Bob in Atlanta and Aunt Jane in Ocala, Florida in his new/used Sienna minivan. (First below, the crashing of heavy waves on Las Olas Altas beach; second below, from left to right, Roger, Ed, Tim, myself, and Jim from the rooftop of the Blue Chairs; third below, another sculptural moment)
My major preoccupation this winter is the impending completion of my dissertation, of course. Knock on wood. I have just worked the last of my primary research into my draft. My primary materials are comprised of 2000 pages Ottoman Turkish court records and statistical annuals for Ottoman sancak (sub-province) of Tokat from the years 1858 to 1876. In my dissertation, I am studying how Tokat's political economy changed during this period in response to administrative reforms and the region's gradual incorporation into the global economy. Ultimately, I will argue the urban social transformations of this period in provincial towns like Tokat allowed for the creation of a new middle class in Anatolia. This middle class added valuable human capital to the Ottoman polity as its traditional state structure struggled to cope with the exigencies of political modernism. After the collapse of the Empire in the wake of Ottoman military defeat during the First World War, the Anatolian provincial middle class mobilized its resources patriotically on behalf of an inchoate and revolutionary-nationalistic Turkish state. In decades that followed, Turkey retained the distinction of having been the only major Muslim state to have escaped direct European colonization, largely as a result of its Ottoman legacy of broad-based partipatory politics in the provinces, and it shone as a beacon of political pragmatism over the course of the 20th century. I will further argue that, contrary to prevailing notions on 19th-century Ottoman statecraft, it was the state's willingness to cultivate local representative governance, rather than its drive to centralization, that allowed it to survive and thrive during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (First below, Jim climbs; second below, momma monster cries for her young; third below, the leaning belfry of P.V.?)
Anyways, I have started to work out the timeline for completing my defense with my advisor and graduate coordinator. I should present my dissertation to committee of five faculty in a three-hour session some appointed time in mid to late May. I will then revise my dissertation according to their critiques before I deposit a copy of my dissertation for binding at the UW Memorial Library by June 10th. Jim and I are planning on throwing a graduation party here in Madison on Saturday, June 19th, so stay posted! (First below, it's a real picture, not a backdrop! Second below, zip lining over the jungle; third below, the jungle near Mismaloya)
Although a little more snow money would be nice, Jim and I are getting spring fever. The days have gotten noticeably longer. The weather has turned sunnier and milder. So let's move on and "spring ahead" already! (Below, this year's P.V. crew)
Until next time, best wishes,jkb in Madison
posted by jkbinturkey at 7:16 AM
2 Comments:
great photos from your trip! they look so "fake" because that place is so amazingly beautiful. what is this about the waves being too noisy?! are you kidding me!? jim!
So I guess Jim will need to learn to deal with the Disertation writing Mad-man Bragg...I am here if he needs to vent, as I have dealt with your brother through this stage...at least he has an escape around the block! (I heard Don say it was just a little bit every day...hmmm....I recall it being a "bit" longer than that...)
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