23 Şubat 2026, 19:00-21:00

Brian Silverstein

History, Anthropology, and Tarhana Osman

Kolaylaştırıcı: Egemen Yılgür

Çevrimiçi: Zoom’dan katılmak için tıklayın (kayıt gerekmiyor)

This talk presents work-in-progress on Osman Nuri Koçtürk (1918-1994), a figure well-known in some circles in Turkey, but otherwise not widely known today. Trained as a veterinarian and biochemist, he went on to become a popular writer and speaker (including on the radio) in the 1950s-1970s, especially on the topic of nutrition. His many articles and talks, based on his scientific research, urged Turks to avoid processed foods such as margarine in favor of traditional and, he argued, healthier foods, like olive oil and tarhana, earning him the nickname “Tarhana Osman”. His having spent several years in the USA as a visiting researcher and his experiences working across rural Anatolia also led him to connect trends in nutrition in Turkey to the Cold War context in which he lived, writing books like “Food Imperialism from a Neo-Colonial Perspective” (Yeni Sömürgecilik Açısından Gıda Emperyalizmi). He came to prominently take a critical stance on so-called food aid from wealthier countries like the USA to developing countries, arguing that they were more detrimental to the latter’s health and socio-economic development than they were beneficial. This had repercussions on his career. Among those who speak fondly of him today are olive oil producers in Ayvalık, many of whom understand the evolution of their industry in the 20th and 21st centuries in part through his work.