The Representation of Ethnic Minorities in Twentieth Century Turkish Fiction Ruth Margaret Whitehouse School of Oriental and African Studies London University ProQuest Number: 10672680 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672680 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract During the first half of the twentieth century, the ethnically segmented Ottoman empire was transformed into a nation state of Turkish citizens. This thesis explores and evaluates the representation of ethnic minorities in Turkish fiction against a background of demographic, political, and social change. Within this context, novels and short stories of selected writers have been studied with a view to determining differences of experience, perception and attitude. The writers include: Huseyin Rahmi Giirpmar, Halide Edip Adivar, Re§at Nuri Guntekin, Halikarnas Bahk9isi, Orhan Kemal, Haldun Taner, Sait Faik, and Ya§ar Kemal. The thesis comprises an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The Introduction gives a brief overview of historical events relating to demographic changes and ethnic minority status, and looks at the popular perception of minorities in the Ottoman performance arts. Chapter One is a study of literature written before, during, and after the Balkan wars, the First World War, and the Turkish War of Liberation. Chapter Two continues with a study of literature published during the years leading up to multi-party democracy. Chapter Three traces the emergence of an Anatolian literary perspective in which, with a few exceptions, ethnic issues were generally ignored or suppressed, and observes the gradual re-emergence of ethnic identity in Turkish literature. The conclusion evaluates the extent to which the selected authors: a) reflect the changing ethnic composition of Turkish society during the last century; b) display signs of bias or prejudice in their representations of ethnic minority characters; c) use ethnic minorities as a device to further or enhance the literary quality of their work. 2 Table of Contents T itle P a g e .................................................................................................................................. 1 A b s tra c t........................................................................................................................................ 2 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................3 Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................7 F o rw a rd ..........................................................................................................................................8 Introduction: An Overview of Demographic Changes, Ethnic Minority Status, and Popular Perceptions of Minorities in Ottoman Performance Arts ........................... 9 Chapter One: The End of the Ottoman Empire and the New Turkish Republic 19 Htiseyin Rahmi Gttrpinar ...............................................................................23 M etres ...................................................................................................................... 27 Kuyruklu Yildiz Altinda Bir Izdivag....................................................................32 C a d i................................................................................................................................33 Kadinlar Vaizi..........................................................................................................33 E§kiya Ininde........................................................................................................... 35 Efsuncu Baba........................................................................................................... 38 Meyhanede Hammlar and Ben Deli Miyim?................................................. 40 Billur Kalb.................................................................................................................43 Halide Edip Adivar ........................................................................................... 47 Early Works - Raik'in Annesi........................................................................... 60 Pre-war and Post-war Works............................................................................61 Yeni Tuvan................................................................................................................. 61 Ate§ten Gomlek and Daga <^ikan Kurt..............................................................67 Vurun Kahpeye........................................................................................................ 71 Later Works..............................................................................................................74 Kalb Agrisi and Zeyno'nun Oglu .....................................................................75 Sinekli Bakkal..........................................................................................................79 3 Resat Nuri Gtintekin ......................................................................................... 84 Olagan l§ler and Leyla He Mecnun................................................................88 Harabelerin Qiqegi................................................................................................90 B o yu n d u ru k ................................................................................................ 90 Q ahku qu.......................................................................................................................91 Akqam Giineqi.......................................................................................................... 94 Ye§il G ece.................................................................................................................. 97 Ate§ Gecesi...............................................................................................................103 Anadolu Notlari.....................................................................................................110 Chapter Two: The Early Cumhuriyet Era ........................................ 113 Sabahattin Ali - Sirca Kb§k and Daglar ve Ruzgdr................................. 116 Halikarnas Balik?isi........................................................................................118 Minorities and Turks in Working Relationships: Turgut Reis, Aganta Burina Burinata, Deniz Giirbetqileri......................... 123 Greek Main Characters: Genqlik Denizlerinde, Otelerin Qocuklari, Turgut Reis..............................125 Gypsy Characters: Ege'den Denize Birakilmiq, Otelerin Qocuklari...........................................128 Sait Faik Abasiyanik....................................................................................... 133 An Overview of his Works: Semaver, Sarmq, §ahmerdan, Mahkeme Kapisi, Medan Maiqet Motoru, Kumpanya, Liiziimsuz Adam, Mahalle Kahvesi, Havada Bulut, Havuz Ba§i, Son Ku§lar, and Alemdag'da Var Bir Yilan.............................140 Background Colour ...............................................................................................143 Ethnic Minority Communities .......................................................................... 145 Minorities in Family Settings.......................................................................... 147 Marginalised Minority Individuals .................................................................. 148 Admired Male Minority Characters........................................... 152 Fem ale M inority C h aracters..............................................................................158 4 Minorities as Projections of Romantic Images ............................................. 164 Haldun Taner ....................................................................................................... I l l “Beatris Mavyan”................................................................................................. 181 “§i§hane’ye Yagmur Yagiyordu”.................. 182 “Kont^inalar” ............................................................................................................. 183 “iki K om §u” ............................................................................................................184 “Allegro Ma Mon Troppo” ........................................................................... 184 “Harikliya”................................................................................................................ 185 “Rahatlikla” ...............................................................................................................186 “Kiigiik Harfli Mutluluklar” ..............................................................................187 Chapter Three: The Anatolian Perspective .............................................................189 Orhan Kemal .......................................................................................................