Which is the meaning of the fez in lounge culture? - Beyond Tiki

Z Zeta Member Atlantis/Basque Country/Spain/Mexico Joined: Feb 13, 2007 Posts: 2105	Z Zeta Posted posted on Fri, Feb 13, 2009 8:35 AM On 2006-05-16 17:15, ikitnrev wrote: The history of the fez in the U.S., with its various cultural meanings, can be fascinating. Even more wild though is the history of the fez in Turkey - the same leader (Kamal Ataturk) who renamed the city name Constantinople to Istanbul also declared the fez to be illegal, and people were actually killed for wearing fezes - all in the interest of becoming more modern and Europe-like. Here is a website that gives a brief summary of the history of the fez in Turkey. http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/fez_1/ It is really kind of amazing, the meanings that a country will apply to a head covering. Vern The fez was a symbol of the Ottoman empire, after the decline and dissolution of it, some of the new founded countries that belonged to the former empire like Turkey, Hungary, Morocco etc... banned it's use because it was considered an act of rebellion, of civil disobedience... It was forbidden, so it became secretive, underground... Then, (I guess) the shriners adopted it as a symbol for their secret society then hipsters then nostalgic lounge/tiki revivalist. It represent former exotic glory. Or at least that is my theory.

On 2006-05-16 17:15, ikitnrev wrote:
The history of the fez in the U.S., with its various cultural meanings, can be fascinating. Even more wild though is the history of the fez in Turkey - the same leader (Kamal Ataturk) who renamed the city name Constantinople to Istanbul also declared the fez to be illegal, and people were actually killed for wearing fezes - all in the interest of becoming more modern and Europe-like.

Here is a website that gives a brief summary of the history of the fez in Turkey. http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/fez_1/

It is really kind of amazing, the meanings that a country will apply to a head covering.

Vern

The fez was a symbol of the Ottoman empire, after the decline and dissolution of it, some of the new founded countries that belonged to the former empire like Turkey, Hungary, Morocco etc... banned it's use because it was considered an act of rebellion, of civil disobedience... It was forbidden, so it became secretive, underground... Then, (I guess) the shriners adopted it as a symbol for their secret society then hipsters then nostalgic lounge/tiki revivalist. It represent former exotic glory. Or at least that is my theory.

Post #434086 by Zeta on Fri, Feb 13, 2009 8:35 AM