The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Turkey

PPC spine 22mm, 274 x 374mm 'A wonderfully wide-ranging collection of essays, critical and yet hopeful, presenting a compelling cultural map of the "New Turkey" and in so doing making a significant contribution to the globalisation of Turkish cultural studies.' John Storey, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland Investigates the relationship between culture, politics and power in present-day Turkey Since coming to power, President Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) have focused on narrating their vision of a 'New Turkey' - an ideal that has resulted in the politicisation of popular culture and people's everyday lives. Exposing the strategy of Turkey's ruling elite to obtain cultural hegemony, this book examines the AKP's efforts to rewrite Turkish public memory by promoting its ideas through TV series, movies, propaganda videos, school curricula and material culture in urban public spaces. It also explores the tactics of cultural resistance developed by the politically weak to counter the ruling elite's dominant culture of pious conservatism. Key Features - Provides a comprehensive view of the politics of culture in Turkey under the rule of the AKP - Analyses the success of authoritarian populism and the decline of democracy in Turkey from a cultural studies perspective - Brings together 16 empirical studies which explore a variety of cultural aspects, from heavy metal music and arthouse films to headscarf politics and national memory Pierre Hecker is a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS), Philipps-University Marburg. Ivo Furman is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of New Media and Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University. Kaya Akyıldız is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology, Istanbul Bahçeşehir University. Cover image: (c) Sumeyye Kesgin, Turkish illustrator and comic book artist, co-creator of Elsewhere series by Image Comics. (Instagram: @kesgin1 and Twitter: sumeyyekesgin1). Cover design: www.paulsmithdesign.com [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-9028-3 Barcode