QUESTIONING RECONSTRUCTED REALITY: 6-7 SEPTEMBER 1955 !EVENTS IN THE TURKISH COLLECTIVE MEMORY


Onay Çöker D.

Geneva, 7-10 September 2011 ESA 10th Conference Social Relations in Turbulent Times, 01 January 2011, pp.787

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper
  • Page Numbers: pp.787
  • TED University Affiliated: No

Abstract

The' destruction' and' looting' of' the' property' of' the' non- Muslim' minorities' living' in' Istanbul' in' 1955' is' known' as' the' “6)7' September' events”' in' Turkish' collective' memory.' In' this' paper,' dynamics'of'distortion'and'reconstruction'of'the'collective'memory' regarding' these' events' in' the' Turkish' press' and' the' possibility' of' coming'to'terms'with'it'54'years'later'are'discussed'in'two'parts.' In'the'first'part,'selected'newspapers'will'be'analyzed'for'their'per) spectives' on' the' events' and' reconstruction' of' the' events' and' dy) namics' of' distortion' will' be' empirically' discussed.' The' meaning' of' non)Muslim' minorities' for' these' newspapers,' the' tendency' for' memories' to' become' vague,' reinterpretation' to' tend' the' present,' compliance' with' social' experiences' and' conventionalized' through' the' constraints' of' storytelling' in' terms' of' “6)7' September' events”' will'be'discussed.' In' the' second' part,' the' possibility' of' confrontation' in' the' collective' memory' that' was' constructed' with' distortion' dynamics' will' be' studied.'To'analyze'this,'the'film'“Güz'Sancısı'(Pain'of'Autumn)”'by' Tomris' Giritlioglu' will' be' discussed' to' confront' the' history' of' “6)7' September' events”.' The' analysis' will' concentrate' on' the' sociability' and' interactive' recollection' of' memory,' its' processing' with' repeti) tion'and'review,'its'selectivity'and'its'tendency'to'forget'something' else'to'remember'another'thing.'The'film'will'be'analyzed'in'terms' of'Nietzsche’s'and'Levinas’'perspectives'of'history'where'according' to' Nietzsche' history' must' not' be' idolized' and' should' be' analyzed' with'critical'respect'and'where'according'to'Levinas'responsibility'is' very'important'for'collective'memory.'