In the modern world, in all major cities, especially megacities and metropolises, linguistic and ethnocultural diversity emerges as an inevitable result of globalization and urbanization. The significant increase in the number of languages and ethnic diversity in cities, as well as constant contacts between people of different ethnic, cultural and religious groups, creates the multilingual and multicultural cities of the 21st century.
Istanbul has hosted societies with different languages, religions and affiliations, and this ethnic diversity continues to increase today. Multilingualism and multiculturalism are inevitable in such modern cities where ethnic diversity is quite high. There has been migration to Istanbul from all parts of our country for years for various needs and reasons. With the Arab Spring, which started in 2011 and most recently affected Syria, our country is exposed to external migration as well as internal migration. Many of those who migrate always turn their route to Istanbul for different reasons and expectations.
Today, globalization, which has emerged as a result of developments in transportation and communication facilities, has turned the world into a big village. With globalization, the multiculturalism of cities has become more diverse and richer. A massage parlor in Beşiktaş district, which we took as an example for this study, and its operator, Thai Dok Mai, constitute an important example that demonstrates this aspect of globalization very well.
Beşiktaş is one of the districts that best reflects Istanbul’s secular spirit and multiculturalism. It is possible to say that Beşiktaş owes its multiculturalism to this secular spirit. It is possible to interpret the fact that Thai Dok Mai opened a massage parlor in such a place. Opening a business such as a massage parlour, which is still considered a taboo and may raise suspicion in Turkey, is a commercial venture that can only be dared by the multiculturalism of a city. When we scan news about massage parlors in Turkey on Google, the majority of the news we encounter is about sex trafficking through massage parlors. On the other hand, our interview with Dok Mai, the operator of the Smile Spa Massage parlour, shows us how much this issue bothers her.
Therefore, the first question we asked Dok Mai was “Why did you open a massage parlour?” is happening. Mrs. Dok Mai says that as a Thai, she knows very well that massage has different meanings. Therefore, she adds, she knows that such a problematic concept could create even more problems in Turkey. She also states that they encountered different demands in the first days of opening the business. She says with a laugh that some men come to massage parlors to have sexual intercourse with a woman and politely try to explain to them that they do not provide such a service. However, according to Dok Mai, although the word massage has some problematic meanings in Turkey, he also states that after a while people get used to it, but still feel a little guilty and a little shy when they come to massage parlors.
According to Dok Mai, opening a massage parlor in Turkey is actually risky and a matter of courage. When we ask her why she thinks this way, Mrs. Dok Mai says that the problem stems from the Turkish society’s perspective. When we asked whether the situation was the same in Beşiktaş, she said: “The problem stems from the prejudices of Turkish people. Turks confuse massage with sexuality and sex. When we say massage, they immediately think of sex and women. However, we also have male Thai masseurs. But unfortunately, when the words Thailand and massage are combined, we cannot get rid of such prejudices. “I think that sex tourism, which we cannot deny exists in Thailand, also has an impact on this issue.”
We also ask Dok Mai whether the secular and multicultural social structure of Beşiktaş, as an urban environment, makes it easier for her to undertake such an initiative. Her answer to this issue is in a way we never expected: “Being Beşiktaş or somewhere else does not change the prejudices. If you are involved in massage, society definitely stigmatizes you. Opening a massage parlor was actually my Turkish husband’s dream. First, we wanted to work for pay in other places, such as hotels and massage parlors. My husband is also a masseur. He also knows Thai massage very well and is considered an expert in this field. However, we again encountered problems arising from the same prejudices. From time to time, there were male customers who offered sexual intercourse, and of course this disturbed my husband. Finally, we decided to open our own business. The reason why we chose Beşiktaş was Beşiktaş’s secular and multicultural social structure. However, as I said before, we could not get rid of prejudices here either.”
We asked Dok Mai what kind of attitudes she encountered in Beşiktaş as a Thai, apart from running a massage business. Mrs. Dok Mai stated that she had major problems in this regard as well: “For some reason, being a Far Eastern woman with slanted eyes is interpreted differently in Turkey. When people find out I’m Thai, they look at me like a sex worker. Especially when Turkish men encounter a Thai woman with slanted eyes, they have a lot of courage to propose sexual intercourse. But of course, we also have very decent and helpful neighbors in Beşiktaş. “Especially when they understand that we are a serious business in Thai massage, they respect both what we do and us.”
We asked Dok Mai what it means to be a foreigner in Istanbul or Beşiktaş, apart from being a Thai. Dok Mai stated that being a foreigner, regardless of where she is from, creates various difficulties in Istanbul. According to her, Turkish culture has unique characteristics. Dok Mai says that cultural characteristics such as helpfulness and friendliness help foreigners in some matters, but characteristics such as conservatism and religiosity sometimes create serious problems for foreigners.
In conclusion, although this interview with a Thai woman like Dok Mai and a short trip to Beşiktaş reveal the multiculturalism of this environment, both Dok Mai’s profession and the fact that she is a Thai woman reveal that she has some problems. This determination pushes us to question the multiculturalism of Beşiktaş, and therefore of Istanbul. As a large metropolis, it is inevitable for Istanbul to be a multicultural city, but it seems a bit difficult to say that it has digested and embraced this multiculturalism.
By Emir Alp, Ufuk Şenocak, Cemal Ata Öztürk