Humorists' Narratives on Social Role of Humor In
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HUMORISTS’ NARRATIVES ON SOCIAL ROLE OF HUMOR IN TURKEY IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MELİKE EĞİLMEZLER BOYLAN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY SEPTEMBER 2015 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Saktanber Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Assist. Prof. Dr. Çağatay Topal Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nedim Karakayalı (Bilkent Uni.-POLS) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Yıldırım (METU-SOC) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatma Umut Beşpınar (METU-SOC) Assist. Prof. Dr. Ersan Ocak (Bilkent Uni.-COMD) Assist. Prof. Dr. Çağatay Topal (METU-SOC) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Melike EĞİLMEZLER BOYLAN Signature : iii ABSTRACT HUMORISTS’ NARRATIVES ON SOCIAL ROLE OF HUMOR IN TURKEY IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE EĞİLMEZLER BOYLAN, Melike Ph.D., Department of Sociology Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Çağatay TOPAL September 2015, 250 pages This dissertation analyzes the social role of humor in Turkish society through the narratives of a collection of prominent humorists. The comprehensive field research is conducted with 48 humorists encompassing ages 30 to 74 involved in humor magazines, theatre, cinema, television, radio, social media and writing across all mediums. It contributes to the sociological knowledge base by exploring how humor’s social role changes and shifts within the humorists’ narratives, depending on the sociopolitical context of Turkish society throughout the last 35 years - from 1980 to 2015. iv During the field research and data interpretation, an intricate web of cross- links between different thematic narratives was observed. The study found that the humorists focused on four major themes when interviewed on the social role of humor in Turkey. These themes are 1) humor as opposition, rebellion and freedom of expression; 2) humor as a witty defense mechanism; 3) humor as therapy, hope and survival, and finally 4) humor as self-reflection, communication & community formation. For theoretical context, and to read the meaning of their narrations, the study relied upon social theories of humor, in addition to a qualitative methodology. The thesis argues that humorists’ narratives on the social role of humor in Turkey coincide with the two main approaches to humor from the literature; namely the functionalist approach and the conflict approach. Social theories of humor, including superiority, incongruity and relief theories, surfaced in the narrations of humorists, which are influenced by the changing sociopolitical context of the country. Keywords: Social Role of Humor, Narrative Research, Turkey, Social Resistance, Humor Theories v ÖZ TARİHSEL PERSPEKTİFTEN TÜRKİYE’DE MİZAHIN SOSYAL ROLÜ ÜZERİNE MİZAHÇILARIN ANLATILARI Eğilmezler Boylan, Melike Doktora, Sosyoloji Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Yard. Doç. Dr. Çağatay Topal Eylül 2015, 250 sayfa Bu tez çalışması önde gelen bir grup mizahçının anlatıları üzerinden Türkiye’de mizahın rolünü analiz etmektedir. Geniş kapsamlı saha çalışması, yaşları 30 ile 74 arasında değişen ve mizah dergileri, tiyatro, sinema, televizyon, radyo, sosyal medya gibi mecralarda yazan, çizen, oynayan ve üreten 48 mizahçıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sosyoloji bilgi tabanına katkısı, son 35 yılda – 1980 ile 2015 yılları arasında- Türkiye’nin değişen sosyopolitik ortamında, mizahçılarının, mizahın sosyal rolüne ilişkin anlatılarının nasıl değişip dönüştüğünü göstermektir. Gerek saha çalışması esnasında, gerekse verileri yorumlarken, farklı tematik anlatılar arasında girift bir ilişkisellik ağı ve bağlantılar tespit edilmiştir. vi Çalışmanın bulguları, mizahçıların anlatılarını dört ana tema üzerine kurduklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Bu temalar, 1) muhalefet, başkaldırı ve ifade özgürlüğü olarak mizah; 2) zekice bir savunma mekanizması olarak mizah; 3) terapi, umut ve hayatta kalma aracı olarak mizah; ve son olarak 4) özüne bakış içeren, iletişim ve bağ kuran tarafıyla mizah olarak belirlenmiştir. Teorik çerçeve ve anlatıların anlamını okuyabilmek amacıyla, sosyal mizah teorilerinden faydalanılmış ve niteliksel metodoloji yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Bu doktora tezinin temel savı, mizahçıların Türkiye’de mizahın sosyal rolüne ilişkin anlatılarının literatürdeki iki temel yaklaşım olan işlevsel yaklaşım ve çatışma yaklaşımı ile örtüştüğüdür. Üstünlük, uyuşmazlık ve rahatlama gibi sosyal mizah teorileri, mizahçıların anlatılarında yüzeye çıkmakta ve bu anlatılar büyük ölçüde ülkenin değişen sosyopolitik ortamından etkilenmektedirler. Anahtar Kelimeler: Mizahın Sosyal Rolü, Anlatısal Araştırma, Türkiye, Sosyal Direniş, Mizah Teorileri vii To the humorists in Turkey who bring us laughter and joy viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Çağatay Topal, for providing invaluable guidance throughout the research topic decision- making process, the actual research journey, as well as the writing and defense. He was always eager to move forward with an unconventional sociology topic - humor - and we managed to overcome several hurdles along the way with patience, calm and laughter. I also wish to thank my committee members, Associate Professor Nedim Karakayalı, Associate Professor Erdoğan Yıldırım, Associate Professor Fatma Umut Beşpınar, and Assistant Professor Ersan Ocak. I am grateful for their support, suggestions and comments. At METU, I thank the Sociology department, the Social Sciences Institute and the Library personnel for all the support they have provided throughout my seven years at this vigorous institution. I want to thank Türkan Şen for her professional and punctual work on the transcripts of the interviews for this thesis. I thank all who participated in this dissertation for their tremendous goodness and generosity. They inspired this thesis by sharing so much wisdom, experience and laughter. They have brought so much into our lives that it is hard for me to imagine Turkey without their creative voices. ix Many friends also provided amazing support and love during this effort, including Dilek Karal, Arzu Gök, Özlem Nudralı, Aynur Yılmaz, H. Sinem Ayhan, Nursel Tabel Arslan, Saadet Bizoğlu, Emine Karaoğlu, Mehmet Gürsoy, Aylin Çankaya Duyal and Serpil Kırel. When I think back on life and reflect on the person I have become, I remember happy childhood memories with my mom and dad. My father was such a bright light of joy for everyone around him, yet passed away too quickly. His heritage keeps me strong and inspired. I also thank my mother, who has been an amazing support and source of love for me all my life. This dissertation would not have been completed without the support and encouragement of my dear husband, Daniel Boylan, who believed in this project even more than I did. He motivated me at each step, always made me laugh and would often play a loud song for extra motivation. The song, by good old Axl Rose, posed the ageless question: “Where do we go now?” I also would like to thank my mother-in-law Elaine Morrison, for being such a positive, inspirational force at a very intense time of our lives, extending a generous helping hand to welcome our sons into life and also to finish up with my dissertation. Finally, I thank my two recently born twin sons for supporting me both when they were in the womb and when they came out. Having to look after two little ones added extra challenges to finishing this dissertation. However, if it weren’t for the love they brought into my life, I surely would have stumbled more. x TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM...........................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ ............................................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION ...................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ xi LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................xiv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 The Main Thesis ............................................................................................ 3 1.2 Research Questions ........................................................................................ 4 1.3 Key Concepts .................................................................................................. 5 1.4 A Periodization Based on Narratives ......................................................