Writing the New Woman of the Republic: The Female Protagonist’s Resistance of Subjectivity against the Male Imagination’s Political Synthesism in Huzur
During the foundational period of the Turkish Republic, classical culture and art were relegated to the background due to their associations with the former regime. In contrast, folklore was positioned as the primary and legitimate source of national culture to be utilized in constructing the new identity. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar engaged with this cultural agenda, but through an alternative discourse that embraced a synthesizing approach, combining folklore with the classical heritage of the Ottoman Empire. In this context, this article explores how Tanpınar intervenes in this cultural discussion through the construction of the female character Nuran in his novel Huzur (A Mind at Peace). The author builds Nuran’s character through a politically synthesist perspective, while the protagonist Mümtaz seeks to reinterpret and reconstruct her identity within the fictional universe by rediscovering the cultural depth previously ascribed to her by the author. In both instances, Nuran, as a woman, is entrusted with the mission of preserving and transmitting both folklore and classical culture to future generations. Consequently, the study argues that the portrayal of Nuran offers an alternative proposition within the context of contemporary cultural policies. Furthermore, Nuran emerges not as a passive figure but as a distinct representation of a woman who asserts her subjectivity.
Cumhuriyet’in Yeni Kadınını Yazmak: Huzur’da Erkek Muhayyilenin Politik Sentezciliğine Karşı Kadın Kahramanın Öznellik Direnci
Cumhuriyet’in kuruluş döneminde klasik kültür ve sanat, eski rejimden devralınan unsurlar olmaları dolayısıyla geri planda kalmış; buna karşılık folklor, istifade edilmesi gereken yegâne ulusal kültür kaynağı olarak konumlandırılmıştır. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar da bu gündeme dair söz söylemiş, ancak alternatif denilebilecek bir söylemle folkloru ve İmparatorluk mirası olan klasik kültürü sentezci bir anlayışla ele almıştır. Bu bağlamda makalede, Tanpınar’ın Huzur’daki kadın kahraman Nuran’ın karakter tasarımı aracılığıyla söz konusu gündeme nasıl müdâhil olduğu üzerinde durulmuştur. Yazar, sentezci bir politik yaklaşımı önceleyerek Nuran karakterini inşa eder. Başkahraman Mümtaz ise Nuran’ın yazar tarafından kurgulanan mevcut birikimine dair manzarayı yeniden keşfederek onu roman içerisinde tekrar tahayyül edip kurgulamak ister. Her iki koşulda da bir kadın olarak Nuran’a hem folkloru hem de klasik kültürü saklama ve gelecek nesillere taşıma vazifesi yüklenir. Netice itibariyle çalışmada, Nuran karakteriyle somutlaşan tablonun yakın dönem kültür politikaları bağlamında alternatif bir teklif anlamına geldiği, Nuran’ın da edilgen kalmayıp kendi öznelliğini dışa vuran bir kadın figür olarak belirginleştiği öne sürülmektedir.
Following the French and Industrial Revolutions, during what came to be known as the Age of Nationalism, folkloric studies gained significant prominence within multiethnic empires. A discernible link exists between the process of nation-building and the increased emphasis on folklore during the modernization of Ottoman-Turkish society, as was the case across much of Europe. The rise of Turkish nationalism, particularly after the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, led to the systematization and institutionalization of folklore studies. This period also marked a turning point in Ottoman-Turkish cultural history, wherein studies focused on language and folk knowledge signaled the discovery and legitimization of folklore as a field of inquiry.
During the early Republican era, folklore emerged as a central concern of the state’s cultural policies, and various institutions and organizations were mobilized to collect, classify, and analyze folkloric data. On one side stood the enduring legacy of imperial Ottoman culture, with its long-standing classical traditions, and on the other, the vernacular expressions of the people, embodying local and regional variations. Following the proclamation of the Republic, folklore was elevated as the primary - and in many respects, exclusive - source for interpreting the past. This elevation was rooted in a political vision that disassociated classical Ottoman culture, art, and literature from the new national identity, casting them as remnants of the imperial past incompatible with the modern nation-state.
This approach was reflected in literature, which served as a tool for mass transformation, where various elements of folklore were incorporated into literary production. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar stands out as a unique figure in this cultural landscape, engaging with these issues not only in his fictional works but also in his academic writings and essays. Yet, unlike many of his contemporaries, Tanpınar did not regard folklore as the sole reservoir for constructing national identity, nor did he entirely reject the classical cultural heritage. A strong proponent of historical consciousness and cultural continuity, Tanpınar approached both classical and folk traditions not as ideological instruments of nationalism, but as dynamic cultural resources that could be adapted to the realities of his time. In his novels, Tanpınar thus advances a pragmatic vision - advocating for cultural synthesis and underscoring the necessity of drawing from both traditions.
This article examines how Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar engages with the cultural and political climate of the early Republican era through his novel Huzur and, in particular, through the characterization of the female protagonist, Nuran. The study explores the tension between classical and folkloric elements within the novel and how these elements, rather than challenging the dominant patriarchal canon, are mobilized to reconstruct the female protagonist’s identity in alignment with male-centered ideological frameworks. Nuran is subjected to two overlapping processes of character formation - one shaped by the author, and the other by the male protagonist, Mümtaz. Both formations are informed by a shared ideological vision that seeks to synthesize classical and folkloric traditions as an alternative to the prevailing political narratives of the period. However, this synthesis remains confined within the epistemological limits of patriarchal discourse.
While the author constructs Nuran as a symbolic bearer of cultural continuity - tasked with preserving and transmitting both folkloric and classical legacies - Mümtaz, as a fictional character, seeks to reimagine and reconfigure her identity according to the same ideological schema. This dual positioning produces a complex interplay between the Nuran envisioned by the author and the Nuran idealized by Mümtaz, raising questions about authorship, agency, and representation. The article interrogates how Nuran’s identity is shaped by these male figures, how her voice is framed within or resists these constructions, and what forms of subjective agency emerge in moments of tension with the male-imagined synthesis of culture and identity. In doing so, the analysis foregrounds the role of folkloric and classical knowledge in the production of Nuran’s subjectivity, examining how both abstract and material remnants of the past are inscribed onto her character. Furthermore, the article considers Nuran’s moments of resistance as a critical site of agency, marking her refusal to be fully subsumed into the symbolic order devised by male authorship. Finally, the study includes a comparative reading between Nuran in Huzur and Emine in Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu’s Yaban. This comparison is situated within a broader ideological framework, revealing how both characters are shaped by distinct yet intersecting forms of nationalist discourse that ascribe symbolic meaning to female figures within the matrix of official ideology
