There have now been more than 150 popular Hollywood films that presented Turkey and the Turks as imagined in an Orientalist manner.

After more than sixty years of participating in Western democracy, having established a liberal market economy and enjoying a functioning multi-party democratic political system, the image of Turkey in Hollywood is still emphatically Eastern, lustful, and barbaric. Against this background, the Turkish cinema's depiction of the westerner has been one that is cowardly clumsy enemy. This talk will look at the discourse of Orientalism and Occidentalism in Turkish and Hollywood cinemas and how they feed upon and reflect each other.

About the Speaker:

Murat Akser (@muratakser) is Lecturer in Screen Production in the School of Communication and Media, Ulster University. Previously he served as an Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, the Chair of the New Media Department, and the Founding Director of the Cinema and Television MA program at Kadir Has University Istanbul, Turkey. He received his MA degree in Cinema and Media Studies and his PhD in Communication and Culture from York University, Canada. Murat's research focuses on history and aesthetics of Turkish cinema, film genres and transnational cinemas. His most recent book from Rowman and Littlefield is titled: Alternative Media in Contemporary Turkey.

Chair:

Federica Bicchi (@F_Bicchi) is Associate Professor of International Relations at LSE. Dr Bicchi’s current research focuses on contemporary trends in European diplomacy, especially in relation to the digitalisation of diplomacy and developments in European foreign policy cooperation. Her theoretical perspective contributes to the “practice turn” in International Relations.

More about this event

Contemporary Turkish Studies focuses on the politics and economy of Türkiye and its relations with the rest of Europe. The research group aims to promote a deeper understanding of contemporary Türkiye through interdisciplinary and critical research, teaching and related public activities.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSETurkey

*Header image: Movie poster for "Istanbul".

Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

A summary of this event is available to read here.