Online TSN Lecture | 10 November 2022 | 17.00-18.30 CET | Güldeniz Kıbrıs & Melis Behlil

In this talk Dr Güldeniz Kıbrıs analyzes the changing discourses of Turkish nationalism between the 1950s-1980 through the reproduction of political myths in nationalist action/adventure films with historical settings. How myths narrate the nation’s spatial, ancestral, temporal roots, present situation, future, and mission is examined in seventy-one films that recreate the past within the frameworks of different historical-political contexts. The central question is: How does the depiction of the past change through time with the increasing polarizations and hence nationalist militancy in the country? With a close reading in combination with film analysis, the depictions of the ideal representative of the Turkish nation, the national leader, warrior, enemies, friends, women, children, the national space, religion, and national mission are revealed. The talk is based upon Kıbrıs’ Ph.D. dissertation at Leiden University titled: “Benevolent Conquerors, Besieged Homelands and Threatened State: The Reproduction of Political Myths in Cold War Turkey.”

The talk will be followed by an intervention of the discussant, Dr Melis Behlil and a Q&A.

About the speakers

Güldeniz Kıbrıs is a graduate of Koç University, International Relations BA, Sabancı University Modern History MA, Leiden University History & Turkish Studies Ph.D. Her research interests include everyday nationalism, nation-building processes, Cold War culture, comparative conspiracy theories, historical approaches to communication studies, and historical approaches to the relationship between law and culture.

Melis Behlil is an Associate Professor at the Radio, Television and Cinema Department at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition to teaching and other academic duties, she writes film reviews for various publications, co-hosts a weekly radio show, and is a member of the Turkish Film Critics Association and FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics).