Cultural dimension of the fellow-townsmenship and hometown associations

The phenomenon of migration within the historical development of Turkish culture continues to shape the present in continuity with its codes in cultural memory, even if its tendencies change. The Republic of Türkiye, which has left behind its centennial adventure, has shaped today's social and cultural structure by showing a major development in every sense with the changes that have occurred within its structure. Considering this century-long background, it is observed that certain phenomena come to the forefront depending on the internal migration process. The urbanization experience, which is one of these phenomena, is not an issue that can only be explained by human mobility. Along with migration due to urbanization, which constitutes a complex structure, people have developed a buffer mechanism of their own on the grounds of belonging, which they characterize as "fellow-townsmenship" as a means of adapting to the city and protecting, developing and expressing their cultural identities. In this study, the issue of fellow-townsmenship and hometown associations, which is one of the important mechanisms of the internal migration process that constitutes the beginning of urbanization in Türkiye, is addressed through associations of Black Sea origin (Ordu, Giresun, Trabzon and Rize) operating in Istanbul. It has been attempted to determine the historical development, structural and spatial characteristics, activities in their cultural dimension, transition periods, occupational monopolization with traditional music and dance characteristics, media relations, and the factors that are influential in the cultural shift and transformation of fellow-townsmenship and hometown associations, accompanied by a functional analysis. Moreover, the significance and determinism of the concept of culture in the fundament and continuity of the phenomenon of fellow-townsmenship, which affects the political, economic and social life of Türkiye, is highlighted.