The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Turkey - Paperback

by Pierre Hecker (Editor), Ivo Furman (Editor), Kaya Akyıldız (Editor)

Since coming to power, President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) have focused on narrating their vision of a 'New Turkey' - an ideal that has resulted in the politicisation of popular culture and people's everyday lives. Exposing the strategy of Turkey's ruling elite to obtain cultural hegemony, this book examines the AKP's efforts to rewrite Turkish public memory by promoting its ideas through TV series, movies, propaganda videos, school curricula and material culture in urban public spaces. It also explores the tactics of cultural resistance developed by the politically weak to counter the ruling elite's dominant culture of pious conservatism.

Back Jacket

PPC spine 22mm, 274 x 374mm 'A wonderfully wide-ranging collection of essays, critical and yet hopeful, presenting a compelling cultural map of the "New Turkey" and in so doing making a significant contribution to the globalisation of Turkish cultural studies.' John Storey, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland Investigates the relationship between culture, politics and power in present-day Turkey Since coming to power, President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) have focused on narrating their vision of a 'New Turkey' - an ideal that has resulted in the politicisation of popular culture and people's everyday lives. Exposing the strategy of Turkey's ruling elite to obtain cultural hegemony, this book examines the AKP's efforts to rewrite Turkish public memory by promoting its ideas through TV series, movies, propaganda videos, school curricula and material culture in urban public spaces. It also explores the tactics of cultural resistance developed by the politically weak to counter the ruling elite's dominant culture of pious conservatism. Key Features - Provides a comprehensive view of the politics of culture in Turkey under the rule of the AKP - Analyses the success of authoritarian populism and the decline of democracy in Turkey from a cultural studies perspective - Brings together 16 empirical studies which explore a variety of cultural aspects, from heavy metal music and arthouse films to headscarf politics and national memory Pierre Hecker is a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS), Philipps-University Marburg. Ivo Furman is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of New Media and Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University. Kaya Akyıldız is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology, Istanbul Bah軻şehir University. Cover image: (c) Sumeyye Kesgin, Turkish illustrator and comic book artist, co-creator of Elsewhere series by Image Comics. (Instagram: @kesgin1 and Twitter: sumeyyekesgin1). Cover design: www.paulsmithdesign.com [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-9028-3 Barcode

Author Biography

Pierre Hecker is a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) at Philipps-University Marburg, Germany. He holds a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Leipzig and is the author of the book Turkish Metal. Music, Meaning, and Morality in a Muslim Society (Ashgate 2012; Routledge 2016). His recent publications include Islam. The Meaning of Style (Sociology of Islam 2018) and The "Arab Spring" and the End of Turkish Democracy (Palgrave, 2019). He is the head of the research group '"Ne mutlu ateistim diyene". Atheism and the Politics of Culture in Contemporary Turkey' funded by Stiftung Mercator.

Ivo Furman is Assistant Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University's Faculty of New Media and Communication. He completed his PhD in Sociology at Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2015. His research has been supported by numerous institutions including the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education, the Turkish Science and Technology Foundation (TUBITAK) and Stiftung Mercator. He is part of the research group '"Ne mutlu ateistim diyene". Atheism and the Politics of Culture in Contemporary Turkey' funded by Stiftung Mercator.

Kaya Akyıldız is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology at Istanbul Bah軻şehir University. He completed his PhD in the Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture Program at Binghamton University. His research has been supported by numerous institutions including Stiftung Mercator and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TﾜBİTAK). His recent research interests are related to political memory, Sunniness and the strategies of cultural hegemony in 'New Turkey'.