Comparative analysis of ritualistic folk drama in the cultural ecology of Anatolia and Britain

This thesis encompasses a comparative analysis of ritualistic folk dramas in terms of their content/form created in multiple contexts within different geographical regions such as Anatolia and Britain. To systematically present the comparative methodological process of the Anatolian and Britain cultural areas which possess different linguistic ecologies, and the ritualistic folk dramas living within these areas, the thesis is structured into three distinct chapters in addition to an introduction. In the First Chapter, the relationship between comparative method and folklore is discussed. Furthermore, the theoretical approaches of the thesis are determined. Thus, the theoretical framework of the comparative method within the contexts of cultural ecology, ecotyping, and archetypal approaches has been established. The Second Chapter, systematically presents the history and literature of research conducted on the ritualistic folk dramas in both cultural areas. Thereafter the historical memory and geographical contexts of the Anatolian and Britain cultural ecologies are summarized. In this process, attention is drawn to the interactions with Northern Eurasia in the historical and geographical contexts of communities situated in different locations, such as Anatolia and Britain. Within the scope of Northern Eurasian cultural interactions, the common cultural sources of the ritualistic folk dramas in both cultural area have been identified.In line with these identified common cultural sources, folk drama phenomens detected using the purposive sampling method in both cultural areas have been comparatively analyzed. In particular, the Turkish image formed in the historical and geographical contexts of English ritualistic folk dramas has been evaluated in terms of cultural ecology and ecotypification approaches. In conclusion, this thesis focuses on how dramatic rituals in Anatolia and Britain have been shaped by the interactions between nature and culture. Additionally, it aims to reveal how the historical interactions of societies with different cultural ecologies have formed folklore phenomena.