Analyze of Alev Alatlı's ideas in sociological perspective

Even though literary criticism and studies are central in Western social sciences, little attention has been paid to literary studies in social sciences in Turkey. Since works of literature give insights about culture and society, literary insight is invaluable for social sciences, specifically for sociology. Alev Alatlı who is known as a novelist in Turkey, benefited from field of literature significantly in contrast to most social scientists in our country.Alatlı is a realist and anti-positivist novelist who emphasizes importance of "fuzzy logic" and holistic thought instead of monotonicity of Aristotle's logic. Central to Alatlı's argument is the cultural instead of geographical dichotomy of East and West in that she indicates how Eastern and Western cultures have different vision of the world; the former is identified as necrophilia and the latter as biophile. Alatlı identifies Turkey as a society in limbo in which Turkish society is the victim of morality of capitalism. Likewise, Alatlı argues that Turkey's young generation faces defeat due to ignorance, and the society as a whole face various dilemmas and experience an identity crisis due to the influence of Westernization. Alatlı calls this condition as necrophilia in which people are alienated from Turkish culture due to westernization. Furthermore, Alatlı emphasizes the spirit of freedom that can be found in Turkish culture and society. While Alatlı is critical of plunder regime which dominates the whole world, she identifies Turkish culture as a safety valve of the world against plunder. Alatlı noticed that value and importance of the Turkish society. She wrote writings for Turkish society attain to its esence.In my thesis, I identify the patterns of Turkish society in light of Alatlı's writings. Indeed, I analyze the ways Alatlı identifies the dichotomy of East and West, and generally her arguments on Turkish society and culture. My thesis is important as Alatlı's writings, which has been studied in literary studies, is for the first time analyzed sociologically.KeywordsAlev Alatlı, Enlightenment, Modernism, Postmodernism, Positivism, Orientalism, Alienation, Biophilia, Necrophilia, Westernization, Turkish Society, Turkish Human,Intellectual, Holistic Thought, Conceptual Confusion, Fuzzy Logic, Relativistic Morality, Intention