12 September 1980, the third successful military coup in the history of Turkey, has had a debilitating impact on the social, political and cultural life of the country. This thesis examines the representations of the 12 September coup through the lens of film as memory. Based on content analysis of two films, Beynelmilel (2006) and Bu Son Olsun (2012) and their reception, this study examines the representations of the 12 September military coup by means of the concepts of cultural memory, communicative and material memory (memory of objects), and construes whether the reconstruction of this particular past event is challenged by the abovementioned cinematic products as a way to impinge upon the collective memories of this seminal event in Turkey. The results demonstrate that both cinematic products are reflective of multiple and fragmented memories of the 12 September, and that there is not a strong manifestation of remembering or references to memories of this event as the interpretation of online reviews of both products puts forward.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. AIM
3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
4. STRUCTURE
5. MOTIVATION
6. MATERIAL
7. A BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
8. CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
8.1 WHAT IS MEMORY?
8.2 INDIVIDUAL VS COLLECTIVE MEMORY
8.3 CULTURAL MEMORY
8.4 HISTORY VS MEMORY : THE PAST PRESENT AND THE PRESENT PAST
8.5 FILM, HISTORY AND MEMORY
9. CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY
9.1 RATIONALE FOR SELECTION OF CASES
9.2 METHOD
9.3 LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISM
10. CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS
10.1 A RURAL PERSPECTIVE: BEYNELMİLEL
10.1.1 Synopsis of film
10.1.2 Beynelmilel as a 12 September Film
10.1.3 Silence and Peace: How Does Beynelmilel Construct Memory?
10.1.4 Communicative Memory
10.1.5 Memory of Objects
10.1.6 Seeing Reality On the Ground: Comparison of My Readings to The Reviews
10.2 WILL IT BE THE LAST?: SILENCİNG SOCIETY IN BU SON OLSUN
10.2.1 Synopsis of film
10.2.2 Bu Son Olsun as a 12 September Film
10.2.3 Communicative Memory
10.2.4 Memory of Objects
10.2.5 Reality On the Ground Two: Comparison of My Readings To the Reviews
11. CONCLUSION
Objectives and Research Themes
This thesis examines how the Turkish 12 September 1980 military coup is represented in popular cinema, focusing specifically on the films Beynelmilel (2006) and Bu Son Olsun (2012). The research seeks to understand how these cinematic products function as tools for constructing, preserving, or suppressing collective memory by analyzing both their internal narratives and their reception by contemporary audiences via online reviews.
- Application of collective and cultural memory theories to film studies.
- Comparative analysis of rural versus urban perspectives in 12 September cinema.
- Investigation of the role of humor and tragicomedy in the cinematic representation of trauma.
- Evaluation of the impact of state-imposed censorship and depoliticization on social remembrance.
- Analysis of audience reception to determine the existence of a "collective memory" versus "collective amnesia."
Auszug aus dem Buch
Silence and Peace: How Does Beynelmilel Construct Memory?
The opening scene starts with the apprehension of local musicians called Gevende in Adıyaman (a Southeast Anatolian town) the 12 September imposes a curfew throughout the whole country, and these musicians are apprehended since they clandestinely carry out musical activities at night. As many things in the lives of ordinary people are suppressed or banned by the military rule, gevendes cannot play certain musical pieces as dictated by the military rule in a list of ‘forbidden’ musical products. One of these musical products is a Kurdish folk song called Lorke. Nevertheless, in a local wedding, Abuzer and his friends are requested to play this particular local piece. The song is performed quietly, and guests at the wedding dance to this song in the same manner. This scene is important in terms of communicating the absurd and suppressive policies of the military regime those days, and submission of the society through silence and inactivity. This attracts our attention to the genre of the film and thus representation of the 12 September policies as absurd and tragicomic.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION: Provides an overview of the interest in memory studies and establishes the 12 September 1980 military coup as a seminal event that fundamentally reconfigured Turkish political and social life.
AIM: Defines the research objective of examining how Beynelmilel and Bu Son Olsun reconstruct the 1980 military coup and influence current collective memories.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Outlines the primary inquiries regarding how these films reconstruct the coup and whether they challenge existing collective memories.
STRUCTURE: Describes the organization of the thesis, moving from theoretical frameworks to methodology and the detailed analysis of the chosen films.
MOTIVATION: Discusses the significance of analyzing cinematic representations of historical trauma and their ongoing influence on Turkish society.
MATERIAL: Introduces the two selected films and the historical context of the military coup in Turkey.
A BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Summarizes the political climate surrounding the 1980 coup and the subsequent censorship that impacted the film industry.
CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: Details the theoretical framework, including memory typologies by Maurice Halbwachs, Jan Assmann, and Astrid Erll.
CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY: Explains the use of qualitative content analysis and the interpretation of audience reviews from online platforms.
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS: Provides the detailed examination of Beynelmilel and Bu Son Olsun, comparing cinematic narratives with public reception.
CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the films highlight fragmented individual memories rather than constructing a unified collective memory, reflecting a state of collective amnesia.
Keywords
12 September, collective memory, cultural memory, memory studies, film studies, reception studies, history, trauma, Turkey, cinema, censorship, political representation, social identity, amnesia, narrative analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores how the 12 September 1980 military coup in Turkey is represented in post-2000 popular films and how these representations affect the collective memory of the event.
Which films are analyzed in this study?
The study focuses on Beynelmilel (2006) and Bu Son Olsun (2012).
What is the primary goal of the author?
The aim is to investigate whether these films effectively reconstruct the trauma of the coup or if they merely perpetuate a state of collective amnesia among the audience.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses qualitative content analysis of both the cinematic texts (narrative and mise-en-scène) and audience reviews from online platforms like IMDB and YouTube.
What topics are discussed in the main analysis?
The analysis covers the representation of the coup in rural versus urban settings, the use of symbols, the construction of "communicative memory," and the juxtaposition of the films' political stance against audience reception.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include 12 September, collective memory, cultural memory, film studies, history, and collective amnesia.
How does the film 'Beynelmilel' depict the coup?
The film uses humor and tragicomedy within a provincial setting to critique military authority and show how state suppression impacted the daily lives of ordinary citizens.
How does 'Bu Son Olsun' differ from 'Beynelmilel'?
While sharing a similar tragicomic and depoliticized narrative style, Bu Son Olsun is set in Istanbul, placing the narrative closer to the center of state authority compared to the rural setting of Beynelmilel.
Does the audience remember the coup through these films?
No, the research concludes that audiences are mostly focused on the quality of acting and entertainment value, failing to engage with the deeper political or historical trauma of the 1980 coup.
What is the final conclusion regarding Turkish collective memory?
The author concludes that Turkish society exhibits "collective amnesia" rather than collective remembrance, partly due to systemic suppression of historical information in education and media.
- Quote paper
- Ozan Tekin (Author), 2012, Factories of Memory: Remembering the 12 September Military Coup in Beynelmilel and Bu Son Olsun, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/202613
