An examination of after 1980 distopian novels according to the theory of cultural materialism

Cultural materialism, which focuses on the reflections of oppositional views in literary works, is a political mode of reading. Approaching literary texts through this method, cultural materialism has a broad, umbrella-like structure that encompasses many theories. For this purpose, various disciplines are utilized in such readings. Cultural materialism employs sub-theories such as Marxist literary theory, psychoanalysis, feminism, new historicism, postcolonialism, and postmodernism. The term "cultural materialism" was introduced into the literature by American writers after the 1960s, and the framework of the theory was outlined in the 1980s. Utopian and dystopian works have followed different historical trajectories in Western and Eastern literature. Within this historical progression, dystopian works serve as a highly significant source for oppositional readings. Moreover, dystopian novels constitute an important body of data for cultural materialist analysis. For this purpose, 31 selected dystopian novels will be examined through the lens of cultural materialism. Gaining significant momentum in Turkish literature after 1980, dystopian novels, when interpreted through the framework of cultural materialism, will particularly shed light on the historical development of this genre. Chapter, the aim, methodology, and limitations of the study will be explained, followed by an introduction to cultural materialism and its related theories. The Second Chapter will discuss the genres of utopia and dystopia, examining their reflections in both Turkish and world literature. This chapter will particularly focus on the dystopian genre and its themes. In the Third Chapter, dystopian novels written after 1980 will be analyzed within the framework of cultural materialism, based on the identified characteristics. In the Conclusion, the cultural, artistic, economic, political, and social issues, ideologies, and literary tendencies identified in the dystopian works will be evaluated through the lens of cultural materialism.