Cinema as a Transmitter of Collective Memory: Analyzing Persepolis Through the Lens of Feminist Memory
Fulya AsılPersepolis (2007) is a film in which Marjane Satrapi, a young girl who witnessed the Iranian Revolution, conveys her personal experiences and memories in a way that differs from traditional historical accounts. Through this autobiographical film based on her graphic novel of the same name, Satrapi is able to share her unique perspective with a wide audience, making the film itself a powerful reminder of the past. Not only does the film offer a subjective lens of historical events, but it also serves as a guide for remembering them through the eyes of a female director, character, narrator, and witness. From this perspective, this article analyzes the film using a descriptive analysis within the framework of the concept of feminist memory. The interpretations reveal the film to have critically approached the dominant, patriarchal collective memory from the perspective of the female character by employing a feminist lens. This approach offers an alternative perspective to a collective memory that is defined as feminist memory through individual memories. Feminist memory arises from questioning and critiquing the past through individual experiences. This critical approach challenges the hegemonic collective memory and transforms the male-constructed history to one based on a woman’s perspective, thereby creating feminist memory. Collective memory and cultural memory can be transmitted to future generations through archiving and reminding. Satrapi uses the film Persepolis to archive her memories, making them accessible to women across the globe. In so doing, the feminist memory created in the film can be transmitted to future generations. The aim of feminist memory is to recall the stories forgotten by collective memory and to build a counter-narrative. This process allows women’s experiences that are often forgotten, unremembered, or deemed unworthy of telling to find their place in a traditionally male-dominated history.
Kolektif Belleğin Aktarıcısı Olarak Sinema: Persepolis Filminin Feminist Bellek Bağlamında İncelenmesi
Fulya AsılPersepolis (2007), İran Devrimi’ne tanıklık etmiş bir genç kızın, yani Marjane Satrapi’nin, tarih kitaplarında aktarılmayan biçimde kendi deneyimlerini, anılarını aktardığı bir eserdir. Sanatçı bu otobiyografik, çizgi romanından uyarladığı filmiyle, tanıklık ettiği, deneyimlediği olayları geniş kitlelere aktarabilmiş ve böylece filmin kendisi de geçmişe dair bir hatırlatıcı haline gelmiştir. Olayların nasıl hatırlanması gerektiğine dair de bir yönlendirici olan filmde izleyici, olaylara kadın bir yönetmenin, karakterin, aktaranın ve olayların tanığının gözünden bakmaktadır. Bu bağlamda film, feminist bellek kavramı çerçevesinde betimsel analiz yöntemi ile incelenmiştir. Filmin analizi için feminist bellek ile bir çerçeve oluşturulmuş, bu çerçeve kapsamında kategoriler belirlenmiş ve bulgular bu kategoriler altında yorumlanmıştır. Yorumlar sonucunda filmin, eril olan egemen kolektif belleğe, kadın karakterin hafızasından bakmakta ve feminist bakışla eleştirel bir şekilde yaklaşmakta olduğu görülmüştür. Dolayısıyla bireysel anılarla kolektif belleğe alternatif bir bakış açısı ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu alternatif bakış açısı da feminist bellek olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Feminist bellek, bireysel bellekten yola çıkılarak geçmişe dönük bir sorgu ve eleştiri başlatarak oluşmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu eleştirel yaklaşım ile hegemonik kolektif bellek yok sayılarak erkek bakışından inşa edilmiş tarih, kadının bakış açısına dönüştürülmekte ve feminist bellek oluşturulmaktadır. Kolektif belleğin ve kültürel belleğin arşivleme ve hatırlatma yollarıyla gelecek nesillere aktarılabildiği bilinmektedir. Persepolis filmiyle de Satrapi, anılarını arşivlemiştir ve böylece anıları film yoluyla tüm dünyada, birbirinden uzakta birçok kadın için erişilebilir olmuştur. Böylece bu filmde oluşturulan feminist belleğin, gelecek nesillere aktarımı da sağlanmıştır. Feminist belleğin amacı, kolektif belleğin unutturduğu öyküleri hatırlatma ve karşı bir kolektif bellek oluşturmaktır. Böylece, unutturulan, hatırlatılmayan ve anlatılmaya değer bulunmayan kadın deneyimleri, erkek egemen tarihte kendine yer edinebilmektedir.
People encounter various information throughout their lives, both voluntarily and unwittingly. This information is stored in their memory alongside the events they experience. The human brain can remember information temporarily or permanently, and this information shapes the future and the people who are informed by it. Therefore, memory is an important element of human life, as its structure is shaped by what is remembered and what is forgotten.
Humans have the ability to remember the information they witness and learn and to which they are exposed. Everything in memory can affect human behavior, character, beliefs, and thoughts. In other words, memory is a factor that influences and shapes human life. It is more than a simple storage system; it is also a social, variable, and selective preservation center. Memory is not absolute and fixed but rather has a constructive function and is itself constructed at the same time. How events are remembered and transmitted, or what is forgotten and how much is forgotten, are all important factors in a person’s life, and memory involves all of these.
Memory is a broad concept that extends beyond individual experience, leading to diverse perspectives on its nature. This study explores the concepts of cultural memory Jan and Aleida Assmann, collective memory by Maurice Halbwachs, and feminist memory by Red Chidgey. While individual memory is undeniable, individuals are argued to be inseparable from the collective whole. All thoughts that seemingly originate from the individual are actually repetitions and continuations of collective thought patterns. The sources of these thoughts become obscured over time, leading individuals to believe they possess independent thought when their minds are merely points of intersection for collective patterns. Therefore, individual memory cannot exist independently of collective memory.
Culture heavily relies on the construction and transmission of memories. Cultural memory transcends generations, requiring only protective institutions for its reproduction. As individuals pass away, cultural memory endures, ensuring the continuity and permanence of transmission. Memory serves as a tool for addressing the past, allowing humans to explore how past societies remembered the events that had shaped their identities and how memories were constructed to create a collective present. The transformation of knowledge is inevitable, and accuracy is not necessary. As long as institutions such as museums, where cultural memory is constructed and historical information acquired, and other similar carriers persist, or as long as oral and written historical narratives are maintained, cultural memory will be reproduced. Historical narratives often present a single viewpoint, framing events as if there is only one truth and reality. Feminist theorists argue this limited perspective to be constructed through a predominantly masculine lens. Chidgey proposes that feminists should record and share the personal histories and experiences of women to democratize knowledge, challenge male dominance in historical records, and offer alternative narratives of the past. This allows for the construction of an alternative memory that counters the dominant collective memory. This feminist memory incorporates emotions and personal experiences, thus offering a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of the past.
Persepolis, a film by Marjane Satrapi (2007), exemplifies this approach. Satrapi is a woman who witnessed the Iranian Revolution firsthand, and she narrates her personal experiences in the film, offering a critical perspective on the dominant collective memory of the event. This autobiographical film and its focus on one woman’s lived experience provide a rich case study for exploring feminist memory. As someone marginalized by the system, Satrapi has both internalized the memories of those around her and witnessed events firsthand. By conveying her personal memories and emotions, the film sheds light on the experiences of those who were disadvantaged by the revolution. In so doing, Satrapi records and shares her experiences with a broad audience, contributing to the construction of a feminist memory that stands in opposition to the dominant narrative.
In conclusion, Persepolis serves as a powerful example of how film can be used to construct and transmit feminist memory. By offering a counter-narrative to the dominant collective memory, the film challenges traditional historical narratives and sheds light on the often-silenced voices of women.
