! 12611063! 1!

Kitsch,(imitation(and(the(‘ugly’(

‘Kitsch!causes!two!tears!to!flow!in!‘quick!succession,’!explains!Milan!Kundera,!in!The$

Unbearable$Lightness$of$Being.! ‘The!first!tear!says:!How!nice!to!see!children!running!on!the!

grass.!The!second!tear!says:!How!nice!to!be!moved,!together!with!all!mankind,!by!children!

running! on! the! grass!! The! second! tear! makes! kitsch! kitsch.’1! In! Kundera’s! definition! of!

“kitsch”,! this!sentimental! imagination!that!moves!with!the! imagined!mankind,! this!“sweet”!

voice! who! dreams! of! reaching! this! ideal! of! a! united! world! in! tears,! possibly! belongs! to!

totalitarianism.!It!does!not!accept!why!the!“other”!should!not!feel!the!same!as!him.!It!does!

not!like!this!at!all,!because!his!feeling!of!wholeness!is!left!unsatisfied,!and!his!enjoyment!is!

spoilt;!because!of!the!“other”!who!is!unaware!of!nice!and!sublime!feelings.!

This! “multitude! sharing”2! characteristic!of!kitsch,!which!approaches! totalitarianism!

and! flirts! with! fascism,! comes! to! light! during! Weimer! Germany,! just! before! the! great!

catastrophe! created! by! the! Nazis.! But! in! order! to! understand! its! political! affect,! it! is!

important!to!have!a!look!at!what!the!main!characteristics!of!kitsch!are,!when!linked!with!its!

emergence!in!modernism.!!

Although! there! are! different! theories! on! kitsch's! etymology! (the! most! distributed!

ones! are:! 'sketch'! in! English;! 'verkitschen'! –! meaning! to! 'make! cheap'! in! German;! and!

'kitschen'!–!in!German!again,!in!the!sense!of!‘collecting!rubbish!from!the!street’!or!‘to!make!

new! furniture! from! old’)3,! the! main! element! of! kitsch! was! defined! by! the! efforts! of! the!

newlyYrich! Munich! bourgeoisie;! for! having! the! cultural! features! and! belongings! of! the!

cultural!elites!copied!and!acquired,!in!order!to!rise!to!an!elite!level.4!So!rather!than!its!value!

as!art,!it!came!out!as!a!commodity;!indicating!the!status!of!the!owner.!While!at!the!same!time!

copying! the!effects!of!art,!and! thus,!evoking!an!aesthetic! impulse;! just!not!an!autonomous!

one.!!

In!his!1933!article,!‘Evil$in$the$Value$System$of$Art’,!Herman!Broch!described!the!main!

function!of!an!imitation!as!having!converted!all!elements!of!the!imitated:!‘the!infinite!to!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!Milan!Kundera,!The!Unbearable!Lightness!of!Being!(New!York:!HarperandRow,!1984),!p.!251.!!2!Kundera,!p.!251!3!Matei!Calinescu,!Five!Faces!of!Modernity:!Modernism,!AvantYGarde,!Decadence,!Kitsch,!Postmodernism!

(Durham:!Duke!University!Press,!1987),!pp.!234Y5.!4!Sam!Binkley,!‘Kitsch!as!a!repetitive!system:!A!problem!for!the!Theory!of!Taste!Hierarchy’,!Journal!of!Material!

Culture,!Vol.!5,!No.2!(2000),!pp.!131Y152.!

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finite,!the!irrational!to!the!rational’.5!Hence,!according!to!Broch,!imitation!which!is!nonYart,!

and!is,!therefore,!kitsch,!only!imitates!the!effect,!or!more!correctly,!takes!the!irrational!and!

the!aesthetic!of!the!art!and!leaves!a!mere!effect.6!Broch!based!his!discussion!of!the!kitsch!on!

a!value! system,!which! is!not!only!of!art,!but!also! in!many!other! systems!of! life.!By!art,!he!

thinks!it!is!always!“good”!art!which!is!meant;!where!“good”!is!very!closely!allied!to!the!idea!

of!autonomy;!referring!that!an!autonomous!work!of!art!will!possess!an! inner!truth,!giving!

the! feeling! of! “good”! artwork.7! Thus! the! kitsch,! because! it! creates! the! opposite! of! art,!

converts! “good”! to! “evil”,! whilst! trying! to! achieve! the! rational! goal! of! “beauty”! as! the!

mimicked!effect.!!

The!missing!components!in!Broch’s!chain!of!negation,!if!we!may!call!it!so,!is!what!the!

“beautiful”!is!–!even!though!it!should!not!be!the!intention!of!a!“good”!artist!to!achieve!–!and!

where!the!“ugly”!lies!relatively.!In!Aesthetic!Theory,!Adorno!claims!that!the!sequence!of!this!

question,! defining! the! “ugly”! relative! to! the! “beautiful”,! is!wrong.!He! refers! to!Nietzsche’s!

dictum! that! all! good! things! were! once! dreadful! things,! and! guesses! that! it! might! have!

originated!from!the!experience!of!art.8! ‘Works![artworks]!become!beautiful!by!the!force!of!

their!opposition!to!what!simply!exists’!and!which!is!fearful,!and!thus,!ugly.!Once!the!feared!is!

overthrown,!the!renunciation!of!this!recurrent!content![Inhalt]!creates!its!sublimated!form;!

which!is!beauty.!But!beauty,!says!Adorno,! in!the!absence!of! its!opposite,!and!as!a!result!of!

this! renunciation!process! (something!ugly!will! again!define! the!new!beauty),!will! become!

ugly.!!

Adorno’s!historical!prioritization!of!ugly!is!important!when!regarding!the!definition!

of!kitsch.!As!the!dialectic!of!the!ugly!has!drawn!the!category!of!the!beautiful!into!itself,!and!

because!ugly!and!beautiful!have!always!been!interchanged,!historically;!kitsch!should!have!a!

similar! historical! feature.! ‘Kitsch! is,! in! this! regard,! the! beautiful! as! the! ugly,! taboo! in! the!

name!of!that!very!beauty!that!it!once!was!and!that!it!now!contradicts!in!the!absence!of!its!

own!opposite,’9!says!Adorno.!Kitsch!is!taboo,!not!just!because!it!emerged!as!both!beautiful!

and!untouchable!by!the!ugly!and!dreadful,!but!because!the!renunciation!of!the!onceYfeared!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5!Broch,!Hermann,!Geist!and!Zeitgeist:!The!Spirit!in!an!Unspiritual!Age,!ed.!and!trans.!by!John!Hargraves!(New!

York:!Counterpoint,!2002),!p.28.!6!Broch,!p.30.!7!Broch,!p.17.!8!Theodor!W.!Adorno,!Aesthetic!Theory,!ed.!by!Gretel!Adorno!and!Rolf!Tiedemann,!trans.!by!Robert!HullotY

Kentor!(London:!Continuum,!1997),!p.50.!9!Adorno,!pp.!47Y48.!

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kitsch!meant! it! lost! its!opposite,!and! it!became!ugly!whilst! still! claiming! to!be!beautiful.! If!

this!historical! interpretation! is! correct,! Broch’s! accusation!of! the!kitsch!being!evil!may!be!

harsh!because!the!kitsch!is!not!kitsch!itself,!rather!it!becomes!kitsch!and!ugly,!historically.!!

Combining!these!three!theories,!one!can!say!that!kitsch!is!the!imitation!or!repetition!

of!something!once!thought!of!as!beautiful,!which!then!claims!to!be!beautiful.!!To!follow!the!

relationship!between!kitsch,!imitation!and!the!ugly,!now!I!would!like!to!reflect!the!concept!

of!the!kitsch!to!Turkish!modernization;!in!which!the!cultural!and!political!elite!imitated!the!

cultural! habits! of! the!western! elite! and! their! status! objects,! as! the! European! bourgeoisie!

once! did! of! the! aristocracy.! It!will! then! be! clear! if! any! comparison!would! be! appropriate!

between!late!Weimer!Germany!and!today’s!Turkey.!

!

Turkish(modernization(and(its(kitsch(elements(

Imitation$of$the$west$and$the$illusion$of$the$beautiful$

Turkish!modernization!was! started! by! the! Ottoman! Empire’s! elite! and! culminated!

during!the!authoritarian!regime!of!Mustafa!Kemal!Atatürk!in!the!early!years!of!the!Turkish!

Republic,!from!its!establishment!in!1923!to!Atatürk’s!death!at!1938.!It!did!not!have!a!formal!

colonial! setting,! but! instead! was! implemented! by! taking! Western! enlightenment! and!

modernization!as!the!model.10!After!1923,!the!first!government!of!the!Turkish!Republic,!led!

by!Atatürk,!drew!a! thick!border!between!the!past!and!the! future!of! the!culture! in!Turkey.!

They!discarded!the!previous!religious!orders!and!replaced!Muslim!laws!in!the!courts!with!

wordYtoYword!translations!of!Swiss,!French!and!Italian!laws.!They!changed!the!alphabet,!the!

calendar,! and! all! communal! norms! from!Arabic! to! Latin! script! and! standards.! All! cultural!

symbols,! objects,! literature;! even! the! words,! clothing,! and! music! of! the! past;! became! a!

symbol!of!'undevelopedness!and!vulgarity'!for!the!new!Turkish!political!and!cultural!elite.!!

The!conflict!between!the!old!and!new,!the!“vulgar”!and!the!“modern”,!was!most!

visible!and!harsh!in!the!music!policy.!In!the!1930s,!for!the!elitists!to!listen!to!Alaturca11!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!10!Esra!Özyürek,!Nostalgia!for!The!Modern:!State!Secularism!and!Everyday!Politics!in!Turkey!(Durham:!Duke!

University!Press,!2006),!pp.!12Y14.!11!Alaturca!is!a!type!of!Ottoman!era!classical!music!!performed!by!using!titrek$(Turkish!:!tremelo!singing),!

featuring!elaborately!embellished!melodic!lines,!and!utilizing!a!nasalY!centered!vocal!production.!They!are!

mostly!structured!in!the!makam$system!(microY!and!macrotonal!in!comparison!to!the!diatonic!system!of!

Western!music),!show!a!lack!of!harmony!(monophony!or!heterophony!is!present)!and!are!accompanied!by!the!

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music!on!the!radio!was!seen!as!vulgar,!and,!furthermore,!embarrassing.!It!should!have!been!

rejected!because!it!was!a!hybrid!of!Arap!and!Byzantian.12!It!was!defined!as!‘ugly’,!‘irrational’,!

and!as!a!‘vulgar!pleasure’;!as!well!as!a!way!of!‘surrendering!to!the!destiny’.13!Arslan!defines!

the!perception!of!the!alaturca!as!an!‘uncanny!image’!which!confirms!Freud'!s!claim!that!the!

uncanny!is!repulsed!as!it!is!all!too!familiar.!!

For!the!state!and!the!elite,!Adorno’s!statement!was!true:!‘What!appears!ugly!is!in!the!

first!place!what!is!historically!older’14;!but!for!the!masses,!who!had!not!been!yet!converted!

by!the!regime,!Greenberg’s!‘the!new!is!always!ugly’15!statement!was!still!functioning!because!

‘it! [the!new]! confronts!us!with!experiences!and! ideas! that!we!haven’t! encountered!before!

and!don’t!understand,!or,!at!least,!are!not!accustomed!to.’!For!the!elitists,!the!ugly:!

Would! mark! the! permanent! return! of! the! archaic,! intertwined! with! the!

dialectic!of!enlightenment!in!which!art!participates![and]!archaic!ugliness,!the!

cannibalistically! threatening!cult!masks!and!grimaces,!would! the!substantive!

imitation!of!fear,!which!it!disseminated!around!itself!in!expiation.16!!

The!past!was!full!of!failures!and!Arabian!motives,!and!to!set!the!new!Turkish!identity!at!the!

top!of!the!hierarchy,!the!past!was!dragged!down.!

From!now!on,!there!would!be!a!Western!gaze!on!the!Turk!which!would!follow!him!all!

through!his!or!her!life.!The!Westerner!was!copied;!his!look,!habits!and!social!life!as!a!myth!of!

desire.!While! declaring! ‘Hat! and! Dress! Revolution’,! Atatürk!made! his! historical! speech! in!

Kastamonu!in!1925.!After!asking!questions!such!as:!‘Is!our!dressing!national?!Is!it!civilized!

and!universal?’!which!expect!a!reply!‘No!’,!‘This,’!he!said,!displaying!his!panama!hat,!‘is!a!hat;!

and! from! now! on! we! will! be! wearing! this! instead! of! a! fez.’! In! this! speech,! Ataturk! also!

mentioned!that!the!current!way!of!dressing!was!not!in!harmony;!that!the!lower!and!upper!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!small!urban!ensemble!of!traditional!Arab/Turkish.!instruments!:!ud$(lute),!kanun$(a!trapezoidal,!zitherY!type,!

plucked,!stringed!instrument),!keman$(Middle!EasternYtuned!violin).!12!Umut!Tümay!Arslan,!Mazi!Kabrinin!Hortlakları![Ghosts!of!the!Tomb!of!Past]!(İstanbul:!Metis,!2010)!p.36!and!

Meltem!Ahıska,!Radyonun!sihirli!kapısı:!Garbiyatçılık!ve!Politik!Öznellik,![Secret!door!of!the!radio:!

Occidentalism!and!Political!Subjectivity)(İstanbul:!Metis,!2005)!p.123!13!Meral!Özbek,!Popüler!Kültür!ve!Orhan!Gencebay!Arabeski!(İstanbul:!İletişim,!1991),!p.151!14!Adorno,!p.47!15!Lebbeus!Woods,!‘The!New!and!the!Ugly’,!http://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/theYnewYandY

theYugly/![accessed!20!April!2012]!16!Adorno,!p.47!

! 12611063! 5!

body!part!dresses!were!completely!different!implying!an!ugliness.17!He!never!wanted!to!give!

the!impression!that!the!new!dress!was!chosen!to!help!a!Turk!look!like!a!Westerner,!but!he!

felt! it!was!a!necessity!of! the! ‘modern’!civilized!world.! In!order! to!show!the!world! that! the!

Turk! was! civilized! and! not! barbaric,! it! was! suggested! that! everyone! should! wear! this!

proudly.!!

While!the!elite!were!trying!to!turn!the! ‘vulgar’!subjects!of!the!Ottoman!Empire!into!

citizens! willing! to! participate! in! the! processes! of! modernization! and! westernization,! this!

political!project!coincided!with! the! increasing!popularity!of!cinema! in!Turkey.!Despite! the!

fact!that!only!a!few!movies!were!made!in!the!country!during!these!years,!there!were!lots!of!

movie!theatres;!and,!especially!in!the!big!cities,!cinemaYgoing!was!one!of!the!most!popular!

leisure!activities.!Film!magazines!of! this!period!were!selling! the! image!of!Hollywood!stars!

and! encouraging! mainly! the! young! Turkish! women! to! be! an! actress! in! Hollywood.! The!

beauty!standards!of!the!time!were!certainly!defined!by!the!looks!of!Hollywood!stars.!

!

Picture!1Y!Marketing!Holivut!(Hollywood)!by!Cinema!Magazine!in!1931!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!17!Cammilia!T.!Nereid,!‘Kemalism!on!the!Catwalk:!The!Turkish!Hat!Law!of!1925’,!!Journal!of!Social!History,!

Vol.44,!No.3!(2011),!pp.713Y719!

!

! 12611063! 6!

In!1929,!a!contest!organized!by!the!Cinema!Newspaper!was!presented:!!

Almost!every!nation!have!worldYwide!known!film!stars.! It! is!only!us!who!do!

not!have! film!stars.!Your!Newspaper,!who!takes! it!as! its!duty! to!compensate!

this!lack!and!to!bring!out!the!cinema!talents,!has!started!a!big!enterprise.18!!

That!is!to!say,!the!dream!of!being!a!star!was!not!only!a!personal!dream,!but!also!a!“national!

matter”! and! a! “social! responsibility”.!When! saying! “almost! every! nation! have!worldYwide!

known!film!stars”!the!magazine!only!meant!the!“Western!civilizations”!which!are!taken!as!

the! model! of! “modern! civilizations”.! Parallel! to! the! westernization! process! of! Turkey! in!

general,!film!magazines!determined!that!the!lack!in!their!area!was!of!a!“worldYwide!known!

film! star”,! and! so! they! took! compensating! for! this! lack! as! a! duty.! However,! the! contest!

remained! inconclusive;!no!one!has!been!sent! to!Hollywood!or!Europe.!But! this! is!not! that!

important,!because! through!the!dream!of!becoming!a!Hollywood!star,! the!desire! for!being!

modern!individuals,!in!general,!has!pervaded.!!

The! Holivut! magazine! took! the! process! one! step! further.! In! 1932,! the! magazine!

started! to! serialize! the! memoires! of! Lady! Selma.! She! was! the,! so! called,! first! Turkish!

Hollywood!star.!She!came!from!İstanbul!and!had!overcome!many!difficulties!in!Hollywood.!

The!serial,!started!with!“The$First$Letter$from$the$Orient$Star$Lady$Selma”19,!was!telling!her!

story,!via!her!letters!from!Hollywood!to!her!father!in!İstanbul.!The!Holivut$magazine!went!on!

publishing! one! recent! letter! from!Selma! in! each! issue,!with! her! photo! on! the! cover.! They!

used! the!name,!Marian!Marsh,! as! if! this!was!her! stage!name;!whereas,!Marian!Marsh!was!

actually!a!real!actress!who!took!minor!roles!in!some!Hollywood!movies.$$

The!serial!created!great!interest!among!the!young!readers!who!had!the!same!dream!

of!becoming!a!star,!particularly!a!Hollywood!star.!Probably!after!receiving!many!requests!to!

connect!with!her!personally,!the!magazine!announced!the!address!of!Selma:!“Marian!Marsh!

Warner! Bros! Picture! HOLLYVOOD! California! Y! USA”! [punctuation! errors! are! from! the!

original!magazine].!There!were!many!debates,!between!Holivut!and!rival!magazines,!on!the!

fictional!Turkish!Hollywood!star,!Selma.!The!magazine!came!very!close!to!lifting!the!lid!off!

the!“illusion”!they!had!created.!However,!for!the!common!good,!this!did!not!happen;!instead,!

Lady!Selma,!suddenly!vanished!from!the!magazine!pages.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!18!“İki!okurunu!Hollywood’a!gönderiyor”![Your!newspaper!will!be!sending!two!dear!readers!to!Hollywood],!

Sinema!Gazetesi,!1929,!No.!20!19!“Lady!Selma”,!Holivut,!Sene!2,!Sayı!11,!10!Nisan!1932,!s.!6.!!!

! 12611063! 7!

!Picture!2Y!Oriental!Star!Selma!Hanım!(will!become!Lady!Selma)!as!Mariam!Marsh!

!

!

!

!

! 12611063! 8!

Journey$of$the$vulgar$‘Alaturca’$and$the$denial$of$‘shit’$

In! the! same! years,! the! music! labelled! as! ‘Alaturca’! were! separated! into! two!

categories:! Turkish! Folk! Music! and! Classical! Turkish! Music.! They! were! reformed! using!

modern!arrangement!techniques!with!the!help!of!State!Radio!discipline!in!the!1940s.!With!

the! production! of! the! Turkish! film! industry,! starting! in! the! 1950s! –! called! Yeşilçam!

(Greenpine),! taking! its! name! from! a! street! in! İstanbul’s! İstiklal! Caddesi;! where! the! film!

industry!was!situated!until!recently!–!Classical!Turkish!Music!was!ready!to!be!promoted!as!a!

way!of! combining!West!and!East,!modern!and! local,!or!Alaturca!and!Alafranga! in! the!new!

Turkish! identities.! In! Yesilcam’s!melodramas,! now! the! Classical! Turkish!Music,! what!was!

once!feared!and!found!ugly!in!the!name!of!Alaturca,!is!heightened,!and!sublimated!to!fill!the!

void!in!national!identity!of!a!country!lacking!its!past.20!!

Umut!Tümay!Arslan!relates!the!place!of!Classical!Turkish!Music! in!the!Turkish!first!

melodrams!with!a!lacking!of!past!and!the!feeling!of!nostalgia;!which!is!exemplified!by!a!cult!

film!of!early!Yesilcam,!made!in!1953:!Awaited$Song.!The!film!depicts!Zeki!Müren!(playing!a!

character!with!the!same!name;!almost!himself!or!his!public!identity)!as!a!struggling!singer!

falling! in! love! with! Sonku.! Unbeknownst! to! all! parties,! Zeki’s! father,! who! was! also! a!

musician,!had!once!been!in!love!with!the!mother!of!Sonku,!Seniha.!He!had!composed!a!song!

for!her:! the! ‘beklenen$şarkı’! (‘awaited$song’)!of! the! film’s! title.!Half!of! the!written!notes! for!

the!song!are!in!Seniha’s!possession,!and!the!other!half!in!Zeki’s!mother’s!possession.!!

By! coincidence,!when! one! day! Seniha! comes! to! Zeki’s! and!his!mother’s! house! –his!

father!had!passed!awayY!to!visit!the!lodger!who!asked!for!support!from!Seniha,!Seniha!gets!

shocked!when!she!bumps!into!her!lost!lover’s!photo!on!the!wall!of!the!reception.!She!starts!

playing!the!half!completed!song!on!the!piano!situated!under!the!photo.!When!she!completes!

the!first!half,! the!remaining!part!of!the!song!is!heard;!played!on!a!zither,!and!coming!from!

the!other!side!of!the!doors!behind!her.!Seniha!follows!the!music,!but!after!a!short!hesitation!

at!the!door,!she!stays!in!the!reception,!standing!against!the!wall;!teary!and!melancholy.!!

Zeki’s!mother!is!the!one!who!plays!the!second!half!of!the!song!and!Seniha!listens!to!

the!song!while!leaning!on!the!wall!in!a!bit!melancholic!manner.!This!magical!emergence!of!

the!missing,!longYawaited!song,!in!its!wholeness,!is!seen!as!if!Seniha!is!facing!a!ghost!of!the!

past.!When!Zeki’s!mother!finishes!her!piece,!she!comes!to!the!reception!in!excitement.!When!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!20!Arslan,!p.!42.!

! 12611063! 9!

faced!with!Seniha,!she!tells!her,! ‘You!brought!me!a!dear!memory!of! the!past.!You!solved!a!

mystery!which!I!couldn’t!solve!till!today.’!Seniha!replies!back,!‘how!noble!you!are!’!!

Arslan! interprets! the! sound!coming! from!behind! the!door,! as! a!way!of! sublimating!

the!sound!and!music,!and!heightening!it!with!the!feature!of!authority!to!be!followed.!‘In!the!

“empty”!room!of!the!past!is!the!Classical!Turkish!Music,’!Arslan!says,!pointing!the!nostalgic!

and!timeYrelated!associations.!This!is!reminiscent!of!the!use!of!kitsch!in!Celesta!Olalquiaga’s!

book:!The$Artficial$Kingdom:$A$Treasury$of$The$Kitsch$Experience.21!However,!while!Arlsan!

was! putting! her! chapter! title! as! “mother! and! kitsch”! (but!without! any!direct! reference! to!

either! the! title! or! kitsch! in! the! book),! she! probably! implied! the! melodramas,! and! the!

motherhood!to!that!this!music!and!musician!belongs.!‘The!desire!of!the!mother!replaces!the!

lost! father’! says! Arslan,! implying! Freudian! connotations.22! And! kitsch! could! indicate! the!

melodram!itself,!which!presents!both!this!song!and!the!fiction!in!a!very!unoriginal!way,!but!

with!formulations!to!build!the!feeling!of!community!and!moralistic!hierarchy;!mostly!copied!

and!not!original.!!

In!Yesilcam’s!melodrams,! the!Classical!Turkish!Music! is!heightened,! and!enchanted!

and! produces! a! tamed! world! of! emotions! as! if! it! is! a! part! of! genteel! breeding.! Not!

surprisingly,!the!name,!Classical!Turkish!Music,!has!now!been!changed!to!Turkish!Art!Music;!

signifying! its! belonging! to! the! high! art! culture,! rather! than! folk! culture.! Actually,! this!

hierarchical!positioning!which!places! the! folk!music! to!bottom!level!was!not!new.!Turkish!

folk! music! products! were! not! called! as! ‘song’! (Turkish:! Şarkı)! but! türkü! which! has! the!

etymology!Türki,!in!the!meaning!of!tune!of!the!turks!but!here!Türk!is!used!for!the!peasant,!

vulgar,! nomad! which! was! the! common! usage! before! 20th! century! in! Ottomans23.! While!

alaturca!was!the!name!which!Europeans!uses!for!the!Turkish!style!and!Turkish!songs,!Türkü!

was!the!name!given!by!the!Turks!themselves!but!with!a!class!difference.!!

So! Alaturca! was! masterly! converted! to! the! Turkish! Art! Music! form,! using! the!

opportunities! of! modernism.! Now,! more! than! just! vulgar! pleasures! and! sensual! desires,!

supported!by!Alaturca!music;!melodramas!were!also!degrading!the!other!vulgar!pleasures.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21!Celeste,!Olalquiaga,!The!Artificial!Kingdom:!A!Treasury!of!the!Kitsch!Experience!(London:!Bloomsbury,!

1999),!p.48.!22!Arslan!p.43.!

23!Sevan!Nişanyan,!Etimolojik!Sözlük;!Sözlerin!Soyağacı![Etymologic!Dictionary],!

http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/!,![accessed!20!April!2012],!article:!Türkü!and!Türk!

!

! 12611063! 10!

Arslan,! who! mentions! how! kitsch! melodramatic! structure! in! Turkish! Cinema!

constructs! Turkish! national! identity! in! her! book,! also! explains! why! the! banality! and! the!

sublime,!were!together!in!this!process.!Arslan,!sees!this!as!the!mutual!dependence!between!

the!moral!prohibition!and!the!prohibited!bodily!desires,!as!explained!in!Judith!Butler’s!The!

Psychic! Life! of! Power:! Theories! in! Subjection.! In! order! to! describe! the! beauty! and! the!

cultivated,! the! social! power! makes! use! of! ugliness,! snobbish! and! skittish! woman,! or!

provincial! man! and! tyrant.! The! doctrine! of! the! power! is! constructed! by! the! exclusion! of!

these!uglinesses.!The!Yeşilçam!scenes!of!“the!subject!who!is!enslaved!by!her/his!desires”!are!

essential! in!order! to!define!unpermitted!and! relinquished!desires.! Similarly,! the! scenes!of!

the!provincial!man!that!include!austerity,!deficiency!and!banality,!exist!in!order!to!describe!

the!deterred!and!denied!provincialism!of! the!Turkish! style! (Alaturca),! and! to!position! the!

national!integrity!by!excluding!these.!The!representation!of!this!ugliness!that!kitsch!gives!in!

order!to!beautify!or!show!the!value!of!the!beauty!is!both!a!cliché!and!extrinsic.!

The! protagonist! of! the!movies! of!Son$Beste$ (The$ Last$ Composition),$ Kırık$ Plak$ (The$

Broken$Vinyl)$and$Beklenen$Şarkı$(Awaited$Song),!which!Arslan!mentions!in!the!first!chapter!

of!her!book! is!Zeki!Müren.!But!why! is! it!not! someone!else!other! than!Zeki!Müren?!Arslan!

explains! this! by! suggesting! that! the! image! of! Zeki! Müren,! in! these! movies,! is! full! of! the!

properties!of!the!snob!who!excluded!and!negated!the!Turkish!literature!and!cultural!life,!and!

the!hidden!pleasure! of! the! audiences! from! this! contempt.!However,! both! Zeki!Müren! and!

most!of!the!other!Yeşilçam’s!protagonists!share!European,!polite,!and!bland!manners;!they!

were!trained!with!a!national,!modern!education,!and!can!speak!with!an!Istanbulite!Turkish!

accent! very! well.! This! image! endeavours! to! make! the! vulgar,! dirty! guttersnipe! bland,!

beautiful! and! feminine.! Zeki! Müren,! with! his! hidden! (from! the! public)! homosexuality,!

became!the!beautiful!male! form!of! the!modern!and!the!national.!He!was,! therefore,!called,!

‘Sun!of!the!Art’,!which!hides!his!sexual!orientation!and!refers!to!the!cult!of!beauty!as!Pound!

defined.24!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!24!Ezra!Pound!says!in!his!1913!essay!“The!Serious!Artist”:!‘The!cult!of!beauty!is!the!hygiene,!it!is!sun,!air!and!the!sea!and!the!rain!and!the!lake!bathing.”!

! 12611063! 11!

!

Picture!3Y!Zeki!Müren!in!his!album!cover,!Hatıra![Memory]!(1973)!

In! the! following! decades,! when! Alaturca,! with! its! primitive! form,! comes! back! as!

Arabesque! (Arap! music),! Zeki! Müren! was! also! performing! these! overYsentimental,! selfY

pitying!Arabesque!songs.!Now!once!known!as!the!Turkish!way!(alla!Turca)!was!in!a!form!of!

Arabic! popular! song! and! the! concepts! of! Alaturca,! Art! Music! and! Arabesque! were! all!

intertwined.!Actually!even!though!it!was!70s!when!Arabesque!music!culminated,! its!origin!

lies! in!30s!when!the!state!banned!Alaturca!and!the!people!who!are!unable!to!pursue!their!

familiarized! traditional!music,! started! listening! to! Egyption! radio!which! has! the! powerful!

broadcasting!frequency.25!From!this!period!onwards!the!impact!of!Egyptian!popular!music!

and!then!the!Egyptian!films,!Turkish!translations!of!Muhammad!Abd!alYWahhab’s!songs!by!

Hafiz!Burhan!Sesyılmaz! (the!name!of! the!album!was! “Tears!of!Love”)!and! lastly!Lebanese!

singer!Ferid!alYAtrache’s!popularity!provided!the!main!stylistic!elements!to!Arabesque:!the!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!25!Martin!Stokes,!‘Music,!Fate!and!State:!Turkey’s!Arabesk!Debate’,!Middle!East!Report,!No.160,!Turkey!in!the!

Age!of!Glasnost!(SepYOct!1989),!p.2.!

! 12611063! 12!

domination!of! the! voice! over! ensemble,! the!powerful! dance! rhythms! and! the!use! of! large!

choruses!of!violins!in!the!orchestra!engaged!in!a!dialogue!with!the!voice.!So!Arabesque!was!

‘contrived,!circumlocutory,!couched!in!highly!Arabicized!Turkish,!and!based!upon!complex!

and!chromatic!modes!ambiguously!related!to!the!makam!of!Otoman!art!music’.!Arabesque’s!

domination!by!late!70s!was!also!declaring!the!end!of!Alaturca!as!both!the!concept!and!as!a!

noun.!Since!then,!it!has!mostly!been!used!as!an!adjective!describing!the!older,!nonYmodern!

version!of!something;!as!in!“Alaturca!toilets.”!

In! Taksim! park,! on! the! outer!wall! of! a! public! toilet,! ‘Modern!WC’! is!written! in! big!

fonts.!The!toilet!building!is!in!the!middle!of!the!park!and!is!visible!from!the!shuttle!services!

station,! which! is! the! transfer! point! to! and! from! İstanbul’s! international! airports.! By!

‘modern’,! the! toilet! keeper! intended! to! market! the! facilities! based! on! the! floor! tiles,!

cleanliness,!and!the!flushing!toilets!(called!‘Alafranga’)!installed!in!the!last!couple!of!years;!

rather! than! the!old!squatYstyle! toilets! (known!as! ‘Alaturca’).!But!with!WC,! the! intention! is!

not! the! ‘Water!Closet’! itself!anymore!(anyhow!by! ‘modern’! that! intention! is!already!met!),!

but!to!use!the!polite!wording!because!using!the!word!‘toilet’!is!considered!slightly!vulgar!in!

Turkey.!However,!whereas!the!accepted!polite!word!for!toilet!in!Turkish!is!lavobo!(‘lavatory’!

and! as! used! in! any! other! country),! in! mass! culture! ‘WC’! is! still! used! to! hide! all! the!

connotations!of!the!word;!as!if!encoding!the!word.!Certainly,!this!is!not!something!specific!to!

Turkish!culture;!but!the!specificity!lies!in!the!combination!of!the!historical!change!in!using!

the! words! for! toilet,! its! relation! with! the! wish! to! be! perceived! as! ‘modern’,! and! the!

embarrassment!of! the!person!who!asks! for! the! toilet,!especially! in!a! luxury!–!which!could!

again!be!replaced!with!the!word!‘modern’!–!restaurant.!!

It!is!not!only!while!mentioning!the!toilet!in!a!public!space!where!the!toiletYassociated!

acts!and!body!waste,!‘shit’,!is!hidden.!In!TV!and!radio!also,!the!word!‘shit’!is!hidden!by!law!

with!a!beep!sound.!But!let!us!start!exemplifying!this!by!returning!to!a!point!we!left!earlier:!

the! years! of! Arabesque.! The! second! generation! of! Arabesque! Kings! –! although! now! they!

were!mostly!called!Prince!instead!–!had!adapted!to!the!new!pop!culture,!and!the!themes!of!

the! cursing! the! world! and! the! fate! and! selfYpitying! were! replaced! by! love! and!

sentimentalism.!The!halos!of!the!downtrodden!are!given!back!by!military!administration26!

and! the!deYpolitization!process.! So! the!masculine!downtrod!was!not! a! protestor! anymore!

but!a!grieved!person!in!‘Tears!of!Love’!as!in!the!beginning!of!Arabesque!in!30s.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!26!After!military!coupe!of!12th!Sept!1980,!Arabesque!is!banned!from!public!broadcasting!and!this!ban!ceased!to!be!in!effect!after!the!selfYpitying!and!protesting!elements!are!subtracted!by!the!officials!with!the!help!of!commissioned!singers!

! 12611063! 13!

Mahzun!Kırmızıgül,!who!was!one!of!these!‘grieved’27!princes,!started!his!film!career!

first!as!an!actor!as!the!others!did,!but!then,!surprisingly!became!a!director.!The!first!of!his!

overYsentimental!films,!White$Angel!(for!which!he!also!wrote!the!script),!became!a!big!and!

surprising!boxYoffice!success!in!2008.!After!watching!the!film,!which!tells!the!‘drama!of!the!

elderly!”left”!in!nursing!homes’,!Prime!Minister!Erdogan!made!a!disclosure!to!the!press!that!

he!and!his!family!were!highly!touched!by!the!film,!and!he!wanted!to!call!out!to!the!offspring!

of!elderly!people:!!

We!are! very!much!moved!when!we! see! the! left! alone! elderly! in! the!nursing!

houses!when!we! visit! there.! This! is! a! big! erosion! in! our! value! system.! I! am!

telling!to!sons!and!daughters!of!those!elder!people!to!take!them!back!and!to!be!

close!to!them.!

A!recent!cult!TV!series! in!Turkey,!Behzat!C.,! is!a!detective!story! (actually!Behzat!C.!

and!his!subordinates!in!the!Murder!Squad!are!all!very!casual,!almost!cynical,!leftists!–!if!they!

can! be! considered! political! –! and! also! vulgar,! using! everyday! slang! words;! mostly! shit),!

which!has!referred!to!White$Angel!and!its!reception!by!the!masses!(which!was!embodied!in!

the! statement!of! the!Prime!Minister).!The!elderly!man,!who!was! suspected!of! committing!

murder,!was!explaining!to!Behzat!C.!why!he!had!left!his!nursing!home:!

My!daughter!apparently!saw!a!film!and!she!was!moved!by!it!so!much,!then!she!

took!me!from!the!nursing!home!and!made!me!settled!into!this!house.!There!I!

was!so!comfortable.!They!were! laying!everything!at!my!door.!Now! I!have! to!

look!after!myself!and!do!all!of!the!shit!by!myself.’!(shit!is!with!beep)!

The! producers! of! Behzat! C.! were! at! one! point! warned! by! the! TVYRadio! Higher!

Commision! to! decrease! the! number! of! slang! words! used,! and! ruled! that! it! should! be!

broadcasted!only!after!prime!time,!so!as!not!to!be!watched!by!children.!Then!then!film!and!

the! characters! were! toned! down,! and! some! of! the! vulgar! characteristics!were! taken! out;!

which!was!reminiscent!of!the!‘sanitizing!process’!of!Betty!Boop!in!the!1930s.28!

So! in! Turkish! cultural! life,! the! ‘shit’! is! always,! legally! or! via! condemnation,! hidden!

with! the! help! of! the! State! and! the! modern! elitists.! This! brings! us! back! to! Kundera’s!

Unbearable$Lightness$of$Being:!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!27!Mahsun!means!grieved!in!Turkish!and!Abdullah!Bazencir!took!this!name!(Mahzun!Kırmızıgül!:!Grieved!RedY

rose)!after!he!started!his!music!career.!28!Esther!Leslie,!Hollywood!Flatlands:!Animation,!Critical!Theory!and!the!AvantYGarde!(London:!Verso,!2004),!

p.174.!

! 12611063! 14!

The! fact! that! until! recently! the! word! "shit"! appeared! in! print! as! sYYY! has!

nothing!to!do!with!moral!considerations.!You!can't!claim!that!shit!is!immoral,!

after! all!! The! objection! to! shit! is! a! metaphysical! one.! The! daily! defecation!

session!is!daily!proof!of!the!unacceptability!of!Creation.!Either/or:!either!shit!

is! acceptable! (in!which! case!don't! lock!yourself! in! the!bathroom!)!or!we!are!

created!in!an!unacceptable!manner.!!

It! follows,! then,! that! the! aesthetic! ideal! of! the! categorical! agreement! with!

being!is!a!world!in!which!shit!is!denied!and!everyone!acts!as!though!it!did!not!

exist.!This!aesthetic!ideal!is!called!kitsch.!29!!

The! aesthetic! idealist! that! is! the! RadioYTV! Higher! Commission! of! Turkey,! with! its!

kitsch! style! of! hiding! the! ‘shit’! from! the! Turkish! audience,! would! probably! choose! the!

‘Modern!WC’!as!the!‘Shop!Title!of!the!Month’.!!

!

Destruction$of$the$sublime$‘beauty’$

Since!the!late!1950s!in!Yesilcam,!Yılmaz!Güney,!a!handsome!man!with!a!charismatic!

screen!presence,!with!the!restless!physicality!and!brooding!masculinity,!became!a!huge!star,!

playing!tough!guys!and!outlaws,!and!earning!himself!the!nickname,!“the!Ugly!King”,!(Güney’s!

rugged!face!and!gruff,!physical!acting!style! lacked!the!polish!of!the!typical!Turkish!leading!

man!of!the!day).!In!the!late!1960s,!when!Güney!started!his!own!film!production!company,!he!

began! to! explore! revenge! melodramas! and! crime! films! to! examine! the! often! feudal!

conditions!that!yet!existed!in!Turkey’s!rural!regions.30!

!Yılmaz!Güney’s!1970!film,!Umut$(Hope),!proved!to!be!a!milestone!in!Yesilcam,!with!

its!decidedly!nonYglamorized!urban!setting,!and!it!broke!the! image!of!the!poor,!but!proud,!

man,!and!the!discourse!of!suffering!masculinity;!one!who!may!either!succeed!or!not!at!the!

end,! but! never! loses! his! pride! and! sublimity! in! the! eyes! of! spectators.! “The! aura! of! the!

suffering!was!wrested”,!the!ideal!of!being!a!community!and!of!a!unity!came!to!nothing,!and!

the!hero!is!now!alone!with!his!destiny!of!poverty.!Umut,!unmasks!the!“good”!making!for!the!

“beauty”!appropriate!to!moral,!modern/national!pedagogy.!The!“good”!one!does!not!win!in!

the!end,!instead!he!continues!to!suffer!and!becomes!lonely!in!the!face!of!his!destiny.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!29!Kundera,!p.!248.!

30!Harvard!Film!Archive,!‘Yılmaz!Güney:!From!“Ugly!King”!to!Poet!of!Despair’,![accessed!20!April!2012]!

!

! 12611063! 15!

Cabbar,! the! protagonist! of! Umut,! who! lost! his! horse! and! carriage,! was! not!

transformed!into!a!proud!and!sublime!character.!He!swallows!his!pride!and!asks!for!mercy.!

He!was!despised!and!kicked!out!of!the!city,!but!he!does!not!come!back!one!day!as!a!rich!and!

successful! hero,! as! in! the! previous!melodramas.! Reality,! poverty! and! the! lack! of! treasure!

replaces!pride! and!nobility.! There! is! no! longer! the! success! story!of! the! kitsch.! ‘Ugly!King’!

destroys!the!image!of!niceness!and!wholeness,!and!this!‘uglyness’!razed!the!pure!beauty!of!

the!kitsch!to!the!ground.!

Güney,! as! a! Kurdish,! was! fascinated! by! the! distinct! tension! and! contradiction!

between!Turkey’s!rural!peasantry!and!rapidly!modernizing!society;!but!he!never!reflected!

this!angst!in!a!sentimental!kitsch!style,!nor!an!aesthetization!of!the!poor!and!the!vulgar.!He!

did!as!Adorno!expects!from!the!art:!

Art!must!take!up!the!cause!of!what!is!proscribed!as!ugly,!though!no!longer!in!

order! to! integrate! or! mitigate! it! or! to! reconcile! it! with! its! own! existence!

through!humor!that! is!more!offensive!than!anything!repulsive.!Rather,! in!the!

ugly,!art!must!denounce!the!world!that!creates!and!reproduces!the!ugly!in!its!

own!image,!even!if! in!this!too!the!possibility!persists!that!sympathy!with!the!

degraded!will!reverse!into!concurrence!with!degradation.31!!

So! after! the! 1980s,! with! another! military! coupe,! the! ideological! totality! concurred! with!

degradation.!The!Turkish!state!policy!on!the!Kurd,!declaring!it!as!the!‘ugly’!and!‘the!vulgar32’!

became!a!complete!denial!of!the!Kurds!and!their!culture.!

Today,!as!Adorno!once!said,!to!draw!a!line!between!the!kitsch!and!art!has!become!

more!difficult.!Ingenious!kitsch!is!released!as!a!quality!piece!of!literary!or!film!work.!But!the!

beauty!and!niceness!have!always!stayed;!eternal!in!the!presentation!of!the!kitsch.!Semra!

Topal,!a!literary!reviewer,!wrote!in!her!review!of!the!book!called!İskender$written!by$Elif$

Safak:!

Elif!Safak!is!told!to!write!beautiful!books.!It!is!true;!she!creates!books!in!which!

everything! is! seen! ‘so! nice’! as! Japan! landscapes! since! the! meaning! and!

expressions!are!frozen!in!her!books.!The!writer! likes!to!set!up!categories!for!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!31!Adorno,!pp.!50Y51!

32!In!Turkish,!the!word!kıro!is!a!slang!word!meaning!vulgar,!hillbilly!and!loutish!and!in!use!since!60s!and!

mostly!referring!also!to!physical!characteristics!of!a!stereotype!vulgar!which!has!many!similarities!with!rural!

Kurdish!villager.!However!it!is!originally!a!Kurdish!word!(kuro)!meaning!a!young!man!or!a!boy!in!Kurdish.!!!

! 12611063! 16!

these! ‘beautiful! images’,!putting! them! into!compartments!and! to!working!on!

them!as!if!pinking.33!!

Maybe! this! is! the! best! definition! of! ‘kitsch’! today:! ‘Frozen,! not! revolting! but! niceness!

producing! beautiful! books! and! the! nice! and! touchy! presentations! and! a! writer! which!

possesses!a!‘sublimity’!afterwards.’!

In!the!complicated!journey!of!the!kitsch!and!the!avantYgarde,!which!intertwine!with!

the! notions! of! beauty/sublimity! and!ugliness/vulgarity,! no!more! sentimental,! presentable!!

enthusiastic!performers!of!Arabesque,!politics!or! literature!but! ‘Ugly!King’s!who!strips!off!

the!halo!of!both!the!downtrodden!and!the!‘beautiful’.are!needed!to!‘Hope’!again.!!

(

Totalitarian(and(the(kitsch(

Let! us! go! back! to! Kundera’s! definition! of! the! kitsch! that! we! discussed! at! the!

beginning.!It!is!not!kitsch!to!get!sentimental!when!looking!at!the!image!of!children!running!

on! grass.! Kitsch! is! not! the! emotion! itself,! but! its! generalization! which! neglects! the!

differences!and!does!not!deal!with!the!smaller!details.!The!economical!differences!between!

the! children! that! are! running! on! the! grass;! what! they! might! think! of! each! other! while!

running;!and!whether!they!have!proper!shoes!to!run!in!or!not!–!these!are!not!in!the!interest!

of!the!viewer.!!

In! Arslan’s! book,! a! concert! scene! from! the! film! Kırık$ Plak! (The$ Broken$ Vinyl)$ is!

described,$ which! makes! the! kitsch,! kitsch.! While! Zeki! Müren! takes! to! the! stage! of! a!

nightclub,! in! his! flaming! costume! and! bow! tie,! his! voice! is! being! broadcast! around! the!

country,! live! on! radio.! We! enter! all! the! taverns! and! clubs,! the! manor! houses! where! the!

gentlemen!and!women!wearing!chic!gowns!and!suits!meet!up,!or!the!prisons!and!humbled!

houses,! and! we! feel! a! wholeness! with! an! enthusiasm! of! building! an! imaginary! national!

integrity.!These!domesticated!masses,!composed!of!either!poor,!imprisoned!or!free!people,!

who!are!always!impressed!by!the!same!thing,!at!the!same!time,!have!taken!the!place!of!the!

rowdy! and! unrestrained! men! of! the! countrified! scenes! of! the! film.! This! reminds! us! the!

popular!propaganda!clip!of!the!Justice!and!Development!Party!or!AKP,!which!was!prepared!

for!the!2011!elections,!when!the!party!strengthened!its!power!this!time!with!a!just!a!shade!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!33!Semra!Topal,!!‘Elif!Şafak’ın!İskenderi:!Kezzap!Gibi!Acı!Olur!Doğulunun!Kaderi’,![İskender!of!Elif!Şafak:!

Eastern’s!Fate!is!always!bitter!as!Kezzap!(nitric!acid)]!Mesele!Dergisi,!No.57!(September,!2011),!p.36!

!

! 12611063! 17!

under! fifty! percent! of! the! popular! vote.! In! the! propaganda! clip! with! the! title! ‘Let$ us$ one$

more!’34,!which!is!also!AKP’s!slogan,!the!theme!is!the!similarities!and!the!totality!of!taste!and!

culture!throughout!the!country.!It!says:!

We!came!from!the!same!road,!we!drank!the!same!water.!Our!summer!is!same,!

our!winter! is! same.!We! are! all! the!wind! of! the! same!mount.! The! songs! are!

same! too!and! the! türküs! [folk! songs].!We!all! sing! together.!Dances!are! same!

and! our! rhythms.! Our! hearts! are! together! and! our! prayers,! we! are! all! the!

subjects!of! the!same!God.!Our!homeland!is!a!royal!garden!and!we!are!all! the!

roses!of!the!same!vineyard.!(Than!with!the!drums)!Let!us!once!more,!sing!once!

more,!beat!that!drum!and!let!the!passion!run!high!and!let!us!sing!altogether.!

!

!

Picture!3Y!From!the!AK!Party!clip!for!2011!election!campaignY!Let!us!one!more…!!

This!is!more!than!just!sharing!similar!values.!This!is!the!religious!belief!that!we!are!

all! part!of! the! same! soul,! and! that!we!are! all! the! subjects!of! the! same!God.!Now!even! the!

alaturca!with! its!separated!songs!and! türkü’s!became!a!whole!again!after!a!century! in! the!

voice!of!this!all!monotyping!power.!However,!more!than!just!the!wording:!the!melody,!the!

representation! of! every! ethnical! background,! and! the! local! dress! shown! in! the! clip!

altogether,!was!compelling.!As! in!Broken$Vinyl,! all!of! the!citizens!of! the!country;!vulgar!or!

modern,!religious!or!secular;!they!were!all!shown!in!the!same!tamed!and!kitsch!style.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!34!Haydi!Bir!DahaY!AK!Parti!Seçim!Şarkısı!2011![Let!us!one!moreY!AK!Party!clip!for!2011!election!campaign],!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3l1xjlYxHw!

! 12611063! 18!

Kundera,! while! exemplifying! general! images! created! in! the! mind! which! would! be!

kitsch,! besides! the! image! of! children! running! on! grass,! mentions! also! ‘the! ungrateful!

daughter‘,!‘the!neglected!father’,!‘the!motherland!betrayed’!and!the!‘first!love’.35!Kitsch!is!the!

reflection!of! these! images!as! seen! from!a!generalizing!eye;! it!detects! the! ‘betraying!of! the!

traitor’!and!the!‘ungratefulness!of!the!son’,!but!which!does!not!care!about!the!trouble!or!the!

distress!of!the!traitor,!or!the!possible!authoritarian!relationship!the!father!has!with!his!child.!

Neglecting! the! details! and! the! inner! truth,! it! expects! a! common! sharing! of! the! emotions!

based!on!clichés!and!images!depicting!the!stereotypes!of!these!clichés.!

Recently,! after! the! Turkish! Prime! Minister! lost! his! mother,! he! defined! himself! as!

‘feeling!the!acerbityYness!of!being!an!orphan’.!He!was!aware!of!what!the!image!of!an!‘orphan’!

brings! to! people’s! minds,! especially! in! a! culture! which! is! saturated! by! orphan! film!

characters,!and!‘infringing!the!right!of!the!orphan’!bring!seen!as!the!biggest!sin!and!betrayal.!

‘Orphan! son’,! ‘unfairly! treated! son! of! the! public’,! ‘imprisoned! fighter! for! the! Islamic! faith’!

and!‘the!oppressed!vulgar’…!These!are!all!images!of!the!historical!positioning!of!the!current!

political! ideology! in! the! power.! They! claim! that! they! represent! the! people!whose! beliefs,!

habits!and!dressings!were!once! found!ugly!and! therefore!oppressed!by! the!elite! since! the!

early!republic!era.!And!therefore!they!portray!the!last!elections!results!and!the!current!trials!

on!the!military!coups!including!!on!the!last!alleging!one!of!2008Y!as!a!reYdistribution!of!the!

political!and!economical!powers!for!the!masses!gained!from!the!elites!who!thought!that!they!

were! the! chosen! ones.! Sounding! antiYmilitarian! and! democratic,! this!was! indeed!more! or!

less! what! the! Nazis! depicted! the! Jews! in! Germany,! as! the! privileged! rich! and! a! strong!

network!of! the!political!power.!Besides! there! is!not!much!difference!between! the! ideal!of!

reaching! the! pure! German! race! and! growing! up! the! religious! young! Turk!which! Erdogan!

declared! lately.! Thus! one! can! say,! since! the! end!of!Weimer!Germany,! kitsch! is!wandering!

freely!on!the!grasses!of!the!public!squares!of!totaliter!regimes!based!on!the!basic!images!of!

the!oppressing!and!the!oppressed!but!in!the!power.!However!their!melodramic!narrative!is!

not!true.!Indeed!what!happens!is!the!imitation!and!the!repetition!of!beauty!and!oppression!

as!a!kitsch!and!a!kitsch!style!instead!of!the!story!of!a!reYclaimed!power!by!the!oppressed.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!35!Milan!Kundera,!The!Unbearable!Lightness!of!Being!(New!York:!HarperandRow,!1984),!p.!251!

! 12611063! 19!

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