History as Antidote to Wounded National Pride: Politics of History in Kemal Tahir's Devlet Ana
Abstract This article analyses Devlet Ana, Kemal Tahir's novel on the rise of the Ottomans, within the scope of the politics of history. Through an analysis of Tahir's novel, the article reveals the political and ideological forces that brought about a reactionary, monolithic, and totalisi...
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Published in | Turkish historical review Vol. 11; no. 2-3; pp. 257 - 283 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Leiden
Brill
01.06.2021
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Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Abstract
This article analyses Devlet Ana, Kemal Tahir's novel on the rise of the Ottomans, within the scope of the politics of history. Through an analysis of Tahir's novel, the article reveals the political and ideological forces that brought about a reactionary, monolithic, and totalising understanding of history and historiography in the Turkish literary institution. The article argues that despite Tahir's allegedly Marxist framing, his understanding of history-driven by an inferiority complex and Westophobia-hardly goes beyond an ethical binarism in which absolute good or evil racial and civilisational nature determines everything. |
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ISSN: | 1877-5454 1877-5462 |
DOI: | 10.1163/18775462-bja10015 |