Abstract
The recent imagery of the Ottoman imperial past in Turkey contains two trajectories. First, the state-driven neo-Ottomanism, which attempts to revive the past in government-controlled domains, and, second, the representation of neo-Ottomanism in popular culture, which we call “Ottomania”. While the first trajectory tries to monopolise historical truth in a state-controlled narrative of the past, the second trajectory presents a stylised and eclectic past in search of a popularised pleasure. In this chapter, we expand on the two case studies, Magnificent Century, a controversial 2011 soap opera depicting Ottoman harem intrigues, and Resurrection: Ertuğrul, a state-endorsed 2014 show that portrays the nomadic beginnings of the Ottoman Empire. As we examine how Ottomania and neo-Ottomanism interact, we situate gender as one of the central sites of the tense relationship between these two discourses. We argue that, ultimately, neo-Ottomanism attempts to co-opt Ottomania and solidify its own gendered interpretation through Resurrection: Ertuğrul.
The authors are listed alphabetically, as each is an equal co-author.
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Notes
- 1.
For a critique see Sönmez (2020).
- 2.
Muhteşem Yüzyıl: 5. Bölüm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzjIC9p87D4&lc=UggZ1Dk7nvtswngCoAEC. Accessed on 17 May 2021.
- 3.
In film and television, a meet-cute is a scene in which the two people who will form a future romantic couple meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or “cute” circumstances.
- 4.
These data come from Karakaya’s dissertation work. She conducted follow-up interviews to investigate the shift between 2012 and 2017.
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Ergin, M., Karakaya, Y. (2023). Neo-Ottomanism versus Ottomania: Contestation of Gender in Historical Drama. In: Raudvere, C., Onur, P. (eds) Neo-Ottoman Imaginaries in Contemporary Turkey. Modernity, Memory and Identity in South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08023-4_2
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