In his essay entitled ‘Hüzün’, Orhan Pamuk writes about a feeling of melancholy shared by Istanbul’s 14 million inhabitants. Pamuk suggests that this feeling arises from a mixture of the city’s dilapidated material past (ruins of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture) and a feeling of pride in loss. He states that, “[Istanbul] carries its hüzün by choice” (Pamuk 2005, 93), and later that, “it bears its hüzün with honour” (Pamuk 2005, 94). He also suggests that insiders and visitors experience Istanbul differently. These statements provide insight into Pamuk’s interpretation of place. To him, places are material, and they are products of a shared consciousness all at once.

For this essay, we’re going to focus on the dichotomy between insiders and outsiders. Drawing from your own experiences as a local or a tourist, determine the extent to which you agree with Pamuk’s assertion that a place cannot be understood in the same way by locals and visitors. Use specific examples from your own life, and consider why you either agree or disagree.