Mythical fear in the city: Earthquakes made of whispers

Aksoy Sheridan R. A.

MILLI FOLKLOR, vol.10, no.75, pp.126-133, 2007 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 10 Issue: 75
  • Publication Date: 2007
  • Journal Name: MILLI FOLKLOR
  • Journal Indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.126-133
  • Keywords: gossip, earthquake of "whispers", mythical space, urban folklore, 19(th) century idea of progress
  • TED University Affiliated: No

Abstract

In this article, gossip will be studied from the perspective of folklore. Focusing on the phenomenon of the "earthquakes of whispers" which have come to the foreground in Turkey following the 1999 earthquake, this article will evaluate the importance of this earthquake as a source of gossip in modern urban space, the function of such earthquake narratives as produced and transferred by people in this high-technology era, and the mythical dimension these narratives hold.