Sema: Turkish National Identity in Motion

• Other Authors: Sen, Irem Secil Reel (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Theater
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-6551

This thesis focuses on the intersection of nationalism and secularism. Specifically, I studysema, the whirling ritual ofMevlevis, and its representations in Turkey. I analyze Turkey's dissemination of a national image therefore its complex signification both nationally and internationally. The thesis examines the representation of sema inSems!.. Unutma!.., a play by the acclaimed Turkish playwright Özen Yula. It illustrates the way in which the play endorses and simultaneously subverts the discursive frameworks of the history of the Turkish national state through its use of sema. Using Yula's play as a starting point, I address the tension sema reveals in the national identity of Turkey, situated as a liminal geography, marked as a bridge between East and West. I am interested in how theatre unsettles the national imaginary embedded in and disseminated through institutional state apparati. Therefore, I focus on how Yula's play repurposes the sema ritual in regards to state's circulation of it and the increasing attention that the Turkish state receives in international media. This thesis consists of four chapters. The first chapter focuses on the interweaving of nationalism and secularism that affects the citizenship in Turkey on a daily basis. Chapter two elaborates the social tension arising from this overlay, highlighting the state's use of Islam to unify the nation either through or against religious imaginaries. Chapter three explicates Yula's dramaturgy to demonstrate how the play intervenes in the state's branding of sema and re-signifies the ritual apart from its religious and secular readings. The last chapter utilizesSems!.. Unutma!..as a case study to illustrate the significance of sociocultural contexts of theatrical representations of the unfamiliar cultural practices, as in cross-cultural theatre productions. === A Thesis submitted to the School of Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Spring Semester, 2012. === April 2, 2012. === nationalism, Ozen Yula, secularism, sema, Turkish theatre, Whirling dervishes === Includes bibliographical references. === Mary Karen Dahl, Professor Directing Thesis; Elizabeth Osborne, Committee Member; Kris Salata, Committee Member.