The concept of truth as the foundational element of social order in Sâmiha Ayverdi's novels

The aim of this study is the sociological examination of Sâmiha Ayverdi's novels and the determination of the author's social views based on these novels. This is because the author regards art as a social duty and believes that social meaning can both be preserved and transferred from generation to generation through works of art. Document analysis was used as the research method, and the author's novels were subjected to descriptive and content analysis. Additionally, Sâmiha Ayverdi's non-fiction works were also examined and analyzed where necessary. Following the analyses, the thesis was structured into two main sections: the first section presents the author's life and her understanding of art. In the second section, various recurring concepts in her novels, within the framework of the codes derived from them, are presented in the form of dichotomies and subsequently interpreted within the context of humanity's relationship with history, society, and itself. In conclusion, it was determined that, according to Sâmiha Ayverdi, the founding element of social order is the concept of truth (hakikat). However, it was also stated that the concept of truth depends on the individual's personal effort and is not accessible to everyone. The core concept that Ayverdi emphasizes for reaching the concept of truth is love, and it is pointed out that a person cannot see the world clearly (healthily) without attaining love. In the relationship between the individual and society, it was understood that the author adopts an individualistic perspective, viewing social life as an obstacle in the process of spiritual evolution (tekâmül) for her characters. However, she evaluates this situation as a natural consequence of 'tecellî' (divine manifestation/self-disclosure) and also draws attention to the importance of the person who has reached the truth for their society.