Turkish coffee: The sustaining power of interpersonal communication

ABSTRACTTurkish coffee has a very important place in Turkish society. Even though coffeeseeds do not grow in Turkey, Turkish coffee has had a profound impact upon the Turkishculture. From literature to daily life, Turkish coffee has penetrated into our traditions andhas left a trace. With roots in ancient history, Turkish coffee has a unique culture of itsown which also finds expression in its authentic coffee pots, cups and serving trays.Despite its significance for Turkish culture, and its stimulating role in societal interaction,scientific research regarding Turkish coffee is lacking.The discussion question of this study is ?How has Turkish coffee survived andmaintained its widespread awareness over the centuries without any formal marketingcommunication (e.g. advertising, promotion, etc.)? It is hypothesized that (a) interpersonalcommunication—the power of word-of-mouth—lies behind this popularity, and (b) theseinterpersonal relationships have evolved through self-disclosures in accordance with thesocial penetration theory. In other words, people come together to have a cup of coffee athome or in the coffee-houses, and conversations and spontaneous self-disclosures start andcoffee becomes a motivation for socialization.The way Turkish coffee is made (cooked) has never changed since the beginning,and behind the tiny cup of Turkish coffee there is an immense socio-historical background.In this thesis, the historical and social background based on secondary data have beenpresented in the literature review. For primary data collection in-depth interviews wereconducted with male and female subjects from different age groups and backgrounds, and100 people were surveyed via telephone. The findings seem to validate the hypothesis.ixPDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com