Is cultural intimacy crucial? Simit Sarayi at Obilićev Venac in Belgrade: Heterotopia, non-place and place of “Others”
Is cultural intimacy crucial? Simit Sarayi at Obilićev Venac in Belgrade: Heterotopia, non-place and place of “Others”

Summary/Abstract: Drawing on renewed academic interest in the study of Serbian-Turkish relationships, this article addresses the complexities of the Ottoman heritage in a Serbian urban setting through its cultural-symbolic and anthropological dimensions. Specifically, this article explores ‘what stands behind’ Belgradians’ negative attitude towards the Turkish coffee-shop chain Simit Sarayi. To do so, we use Michael Herzfeld’s (1997) cultural intimacy perspective of ‘understanding from within’ what ‘makes sense of space’. We illustrate how the systems of meaning Belgradians use shape the true nature and experience with such an intimate ‘Other’ that is the Turkish [franchise].

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