Yakın Dönem Siyasi Tarihinin Karikatür Üzerinden Analizi: Karagöz 1922-1939

Abstract

The relationship between press and power (sovereign power) is a mutual relationship and both of which feeds each other. The power consolidates its hegemonic power through press while the press is fed with the power of the ruling power to maintain its existence. In other words, the press has a function that articulates and reconstructs the discourse of power. Newspapers and cartoons in newspapers as a tool of press serve this purpose, as well. Despite the presence of the opposition press, this situation is generally inevitable. Karagöz, which long-lasting political, humorous public newspaper that began its publishing life following the proclamation of Second Constitutional Monarchy, has a remarkable testimony for the Turkey’s recent political history with its all written and visual data contained in the archives. This study aims to present the Republic of Turkey’s political developments, changes, and transformations between 1922-1939 on Karagöz’s caricatures, and the caricatures discourses with striking examples from the perspective of the conjuncture of the power/ruling relationship (the ruling or opposition) and also to show today's readers the panorama of that period. For the understanding of Karagöz’s development adventure, the methodological perspective and historical development of humour and cartoon are mentioned and after that, the place of the newspaper in Turkish humor and caricature is evaluated. To evaluate the relationship between periodicals and the period and to contribute to the related literatüre technical details of the newspaper, number of prints, reader’s profile, dimensions, days of publication, subscription terms, author and cartoonist staff, topics covered in cartoons are mentioned. To sum up, the issues related to internal and external affairs of Turkey's political history of 1922-1939 and the discussions on those topics are presented to the reader in general. In the light of these datas, the Karagöz’s caricatures and their subtitles are analyzed by discourse and semiotic method.