Aşık İhsani in the process of politicization of the tradition of minstrel poetry

The 20th century was the period when ideology, which assumes an essential function in shaping man's beliefs about their present and future, was discussed by various communities and art was also used as an instrument in the ideological struggle. Although it is discussed how the power of ideology in diverse arts is, there is no comprehensive study on how it is in Turkish minstrelsy tradition. Besides, there is no detailed study on Âşık İhsani, who was one of the most popular and important figures in the period when Turkish minstrelsy tradition changed in parallel with the political changes in our country. This study aims to demonstrate the power which the association between art and ideology gained in Turkish minstrelsy tradition through the reviews on Âşık İhsani's poetry. The works of Âşık İhsani, which have not been studied in detail before, are evaluated with the social and political developments of the period, and furthermore, it is exposed how functions of ideology are in his art and life. By using several disciplines, the first section explains how the sovereign powers, who led ideologies in the 20th century, used ideology in the various fields of art. The second section focuses on how the association between ideology and art is in Turkish minstrelsy tradition and what role ideology played in it, especially between the years of 1960-1980. The third section examines the poems and life of Âşık İhsani, one of the prominent figures during the process of politicization of minstrel poetry, and also evaluates his art and political views within the context of political and historical developments of his time and functions of ideology. Keywords: Ideology, Art, Poetry and Ideology, Minstrel tradition, Âşık İhsani