Sinematek (Turkish Cinémathèque Association): cinema and political debate in Turkey between 1965-1980

Abstract

This thesis examines Sinematek Association, which was a specific phenomenon among many other cultural and social projects of the 1960s. It was established on August 25, 1965 by passionate cinema followers and lasted till the military coup d'etat of 1980. The thesis focuses on the effects of the social and cultural atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s on the evolution of the Sinematek association, and the impact of the Association on the shaping of the general political atmosphere. This thesis seeks to uncover the decade between 1965 and 1975, which was the heyday of the association, that is considered as a period of transformation in Turkish cinema, just like other transformations in theatre and literature, as artistic activities were diffused in the public life. I argue that an artistic environment took shape in which political discussions were made possible. Interaction with the public sphere and the desire for a utopian new society were the essential characteristics of this generation. In this period, the intellectuals and youth in Turkey defined themselves in relation to the political & socio- economic problems of their country. This critical consciousness naturally found expression in the cultural sphere. Therefore, the main concern of this study will be to map the elements of this intellectual or political movement via an analysis of this institution. To put it differently, my hypothesis is that Sinematek and other cinema circles in the 1960s and in the early 1970s can give us the opportunity to understand the atmosphere of Turkey in that period as they reflected, sustained and expressed generally the significant intellectual and political orientations of their period.

This thesis examines Sinematek Association, which was a specific phenomenon among many other cultural and social projects of the 1960s. It was established on August 25, 1965 by passionate cinema followers and lasted till the military coup d?etat of 1980. The thesis focuses on the effects of the social and cultural atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s on the evolution of the Sinematek association, and the impact of the Association on the shaping of the general political atmosphere. This thesis seeks to uncover the decade between 1965 and 1975, which was the heyday of the association, that is considered as a period of transformation in Turkish cinema, just like other transformations in theatre and literature, as artistic activities were diffused in the public life. I argue that an artistic environment took shape in which political discussions were made possible. Interaction with the public sphere and the desire for a utopian new society were the essential characteristics of this generation. In this period, the intellectuals and youth in Turkey defined themselves in relation to the political & socio- economic problems of their country. This critical consciousness naturally found expression in the cultural sphere. Therefore, the main concern of this study will be to map the elements of this intellectual or political movement via an analysis of this institution. To put it differently, my hypothesis is that Sinematek and other cinema circles in the 1960s and in the early 1970s can give us the opportunity to understand the atmosphere of Turkey in that period as they reflected, sustained and expressed generally the significant intellectual and political orientations of their period.