“Film Mirasım” Görsel-İşitsel Arşivinde Ulusal Belleğin Temsili

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how Türkiye’s national memory is represented through state-produced visual narratives, based on the audiovisual materials from the period 1918–1960 available in the Film Heritage (Film Mirasım) digital archive, developed by the Directorate General of Cinema of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism. A total of 117 sound videos from the archive were transcribed using automatic speech recognition, and the resulting texts were systematically examined through qualitative analysis techniques. In the content analysis conducted with the support of ATLAS.ti software, initial codes were identified, similar codes were grouped under categories, and four main themes were derived from these categories: Public Policies, International Relations, Independence and National Identity, and Political Structure. The code-level analysis revealed that the themes of industry and national values were predominant during the 1918–1938 period; defense and macroeconomic policies in the 1938–1950 period; and energy and foreign affairs in the 1950–1960 period. The discourses of four political leaders followed a similar pattern: Atatürk emphasized industry and national values; İnönü focused on defense and party structures; while Bayar and Menderes prioritized development and foreign policy. Furthermore, a three-tiered social network analysis was conducted. First, a thematic network analysis was used to map the relationships between major themes and codes. Second, a temporal network analysis examined the evolution of thematic structures over time. Finally, a leader-code analysis compared the thematic emphases in the speeches of Atatürk, İnönü, Bayar, and Menderes. According to the findings, Public Policies and International Relations consistently occupied central positions across all three periods, whereas the theme of Independence and National Identity demonstrated more limited connectivity. The thematic network analysis covering the 1918–1960 period indicates that the early years were characterized by a smaller number of highly interconnected themes, whereas the 1950 1960 period exhibited an increase in the number of nodes, but a decrease in connection density. Among the leaders, Menderes and Bayar stood out through their emphasis on economic themes, İnönü played a bridging role, and Atatürk appeared as a guiding figure. In conclusion, this study reveals how the state-sponsored audiovisual content in the Film Heritage archive constructs the discourses that shape Türkiye’s national memory, through both content-based and relational analyses. The combined use of content analysis and social network analysis enhances the methodological originality of the research, and offers insights for improving the representational capacity, accessibility, and content structuring of digital archives.