(Re)considering Turkish Theatre in the Republic’s Centenary

EnglishTürkçe

CHAPTER


DOI :10.26650/B/AH13.2025.002.009   IUP :10.26650/B/AH13.2025.002.009    Full Text (PDF)

National Theatre Historiography in Türkiye and the Determining Factors for Historians’ Choices (1923-1980)

Nihan Şentürk

National theatre histories play a crucial role in consolidating the cultural identity of newly established countries and are pivotal in reshaping national narratives. This distinctive characteristic has led to the emergence of fresh perspectives within the field, particularly in the late twentieth century. Scholars like S. E. Wilmer, underscoring the significance of theatre historians’ viewpoints, shed light on the variables influencing these perspectives. Wilmer argues that historiography demands intentional decisions regarding inclusion and exclusion, urging scrutiny through the lenses of language, ethnicity, geography, and aesthetics. This study assesses examples from national theatre history books in Türkiye (1923–1980) within the categories proposed by Wilmer. Throughout the article, an effort will be made to identify how the various parameters mentioned by Wilmer manifest in the development of national theatre history studies in our country through examples. This study initiates a discussion on whether the cited examples shape the character of our national theatre history. In this context, the categories of geography, language, ethnicity, and aesthetics proposed by Wilmer prove crucial for the analysis of theatre histories. In doing so, this study seeks to unveil the perspectives of theatre historians and discern the ideological and cultural forces shaping their narratives.


Keywords: historiography of the Republic Era, theatre, theatre history, national theatre historiography, nationstate

References

  • Akı, Niyazi. XIX. Yüzyıl Türk Tiyatrosu Tarihi. Erzurum: Ankara Üniversitesi Basımevi, 1963. google scholar
  • And, Metin. Meşrutiyet Döneminde Türk Tiyatrosu (1908-1923). Ankara: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 1971. google scholar
  • And, Metin. “Tiyatronun Dilleri Kullanılmıyor.” In Metin And’a Armağan, edited by M. Sabri Koz, 83-88. Istanbul: (Publisher not specified), 2007. google scholar
  • And, Metin. Şair Evlenmesi’nden Önceki İlk Türkçe Oyunlar. Istanbul: İnkılâp ve Aka Kitabevleri, 1983. google scholar
  • And, Metin. Tanzimat ve İstibdat Döneminde Türk Tiyatrosu (1839-1908). Ankara: Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 1972. google scholar
  • And, Metin. 50 Yılın Türk Tiyatrosu. Istanbul: İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, 1973. google scholar
  • Breisach, Ernst. Historiography: Ancient, Medieval & Modern. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1994. google scholar
  • Dürder, Baha. “Tiyatro Tarihi Betikleri.”, Türk Dili XV, no. 178 (1966): 687-697. google scholar
  • Ersanlı, Büşra. İktidar ve Tarih: Türkiye’de “Resmî Tarih” Tezinin Oluşumu (1923-1937) Istanbul: İletişim Yayınları, 2009. google scholar
  • Fischer-Lichte, Erika. “From Text to Performance: The Rise of Theatre Studies as an Academic Discipline in Germany.” Theatre Research International 24, no. 2 (1999): 168-78. doi:10.1017/S0307883300020794. google scholar
  • Fischer-Lichte, Erika. History of European Drama and Theatre. Translated by Jo Riley. Londra: Routledge, 2002. google scholar
  • Güllü, Fırat. Vartovyan Kumpanyası ve Yeni Osmanlılar. Istanbul: Bgst Yayınları, 2008. google scholar
  • Lorenz, Chris. “You got your history, I got mine: Some reflections on truth and objectivity in history.” Österreichische Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaften 10, no. 4 (1999): 563-584. google scholar
  • Mardin, Sherif. “Recent Trends in Turkish Historical Writing.” Middle East Journal 4, no. 3 (1950): 356-358. google scholar
  • Sevengil, Refik Ahmet. Eski Türklerde Dram Sanatı. Istanbul: Milli Eğitim Basımevi, 1959. google scholar
  • Sevengil, Refik Ahmet. Meşrutiyet Tiyatrosu. Istanbul: Milli Eğitim Basımevi, 1968. google scholar
  • Sevengil, Refik Ahmet. Yakın Çağlarda Türk Tiyatrosu Birinci Cilt. Istanbul: Kanaat Kütüphanesi, 1934. google scholar
  • Sevengil, Refik Ahmet. Tanzimat Tiyatrosu. Istanbul: Milli Eğitim Basımevi, 1968. google scholar
  • Şapolyo, Enver Behnan. Karagöz’ün Tarihi. Istanbul: Türkiye Yayınevi, 1946. google scholar
  • Şimşek, Ahmet. “Giriş ya da Herodotos’tan Bugüne Tarihyazımına Kısa Bir Bakış.” In Türkiye’de Tarih Yazımı, edited by Vahdettin Engin, Ahmet Şimşek, 1-20. Istanbul: Yeditepe Yayınevi, 2017. google scholar
  • Şimşek, Ahmet; Satan, Ali. “Türkiye’de Milli Tarihin İnşası.” In Milli Tarihin İnşası (Makaleler), edited by Ahmet Şimşek and Ali Satan, 11-28. Istanbul: Tarihçi Kitabevi, 2011. google scholar
  • Şimşek, Sefa. Bir İdeolojik Seferberlik Deneyimi: Halkevleri 1932-1951. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınevi, 2002. google scholar
  • Tuş, Muhittin. “Türkiye’de Tarih Metodolojisi Sorunu.” In Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türkiye’de Tarihçilik ve Tarih Yayıncılığı Sempozyumu Bildiriler, edited by Mehmet Öz, 89-106. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, 2011. google scholar
  • Wilmer, S. E. “Finland.” In The Cambridge Companion to Theatre History, edited by David Wiles and Christine Dymkowski, 104-115. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. doi:10.1017/CCO9781139019651.010. google scholar
  • Wilmer, S. E.. “On Writing National Theatre Histories.” In Writing and Rewriting National Theatre Histories, edited by S. E. Wilmer, 17-28. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2004. google scholar
  • Wilmer, S. E.. “The Development of National Theatres in Europe in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.” In National Theatres in Changing Europe, edited by S. E. Wilmer, 9-20. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. google scholar
  • Wilmer, S. E.. “Introduction.” In National Theatres in Changing Europe, edited by S. E. Wilmer, 1-5. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. google scholar
  • Wilmer, S. E.. “Introduction.” In Writing and Rewriting National Theatre Histories, edited by S. E. Wilmer, ix-xi. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2004. google scholar
  • Zürcher, Eric Jan. Türkiye: A Modern History. London: I.B. Tauris, 2004. google scholar


SHARE



Istanbul University Press aims to contribute to the dissemination of ever growing scientific knowledge through publication of high quality scientific journals and books in accordance with the international publishing standards and ethics. Istanbul University Press follows an open access, non-commercial, scholarly publishing.