Aydin, Kamil (1994) Western images of Turkey in the twentieth century. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

While the general idea is to demonstrate how non-Western culture has been
represented by a Western one, the particular aim of the thesis is to offer an analysis of
twentieth century images of Turkey in the West mainly through the texts of thrillers
and travel accounts. Since Turkey has generally been treated as a Middle Eastern
country in terms of geography, culture and religion in those texts I have randomly
selected, the negative images of Turkey and the Turks have been examined from a
non-European point of view taking into account Michel Foucault's analysis
interpreted by Edward Said. In order to provide a better understanding of the texts
studied in the thesis, there is a brief presentation of the history and development of
travel writing and popular fiction as distinct literary genres in the Introduction.
Moreover, as the thesis demonstrates that there are a great number of direct or indirect
references to historical representations of the Turks identified with the Ottomans, a
chronological account of early images is made in the first chapter. These images can
be summed up under such general headings as 'Lustful' and 'Terrible' Turks or a
combination of both. The analysis of contemporary images of Turkey has been
undertaken separately in ensuing chapters. While the images of violence are discussed
in the second chapter, the images of the exotic which appear in the third, and the
fourth chapter deals with first impressions of Turkey and the Turks. The thesis, which
concludes with a discussion of the evolving process of Turkish stereotypes from
verbal to visual towards the end of the twentieth century, suggesting that there are also
other discourses in the media, particularly in the cinema worth examining as they also
construct and perpetuate the negative image discerned in the selection of the texts.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DS Asia
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Turkey -- In literature, Turkey -- Description and travel, Orientalism
Official Date:	December 1994
Dates:	Date Event December 1994 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Bassnett, Susan
Sponsors:	Atatürk Üniversitesi
Extent:	iv, 235 leaves
Language:	eng

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