Understanding masculinity in Turkey through the films of male auteur directors

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2023.413

Keywords:

gender, hegemonic masculinity, auteur cinema, male directors, patriarchy

Abstract

This study focuses the representation of male characters in the films of contemporary male auteur directors in Turkey. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Zeki Demirkubuz, 2011), Underground (Demizkubuz, 2012), and Big World (Erdem, 2016) are explored using sociological film analysis. Unlike mainstream cinema, the protagonists in these directors’ films do not demonstrate hegemonic masculinity; the supporting male characters that do demonstrate hegemonic masculinity category are not white Turks. Arguably, the male characters embody a new hybrid hegemonic masculinity that combines various masculinities to reproduce patriarchy. It can be stated that “Others” in these films are negatively affected.

Author Biography

Hasan Gürkan, Girona University (Maria Zambrano Fellow)Istinye University (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)

Hasan Gürkan is a Maria Zambrano Fellow in the Department of Philology and Communication at Girona University and an Assoc.Prof.Dr. in the School of Communication at Istinye University in Turkey. He holds his Ph.D. from the Istanbul University Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema. He did his post-doc research in the Journalism and Communication Sciences Institute department at the University of Vienna on migration and Austrian-Turkish immigrant directors’ films. He has also written the books Counter Cinema and Journalism Practices. He focuses on counter cinema, Hollywood Cinema, alternative media, cinema and representations, cinema and migration, gender communication, and gender studies. 

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Published

2023-10-19

How to Cite

Gürkan, H., & Yarcı, I. (2023). Understanding masculinity in Turkey through the films of male auteur directors. CINEJ Cinema Journal, 11(1), 30–59. https://doi.org/10.5195/cinej.2023.413

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2023): Fall 2023

Section

Articles

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