Against colonialism: Abdulhak Hamid's Plays

ABSTRACTAGAINST COLONIALISM: ABDÜLHAK HÂMID?S PLAYSKebeli, SevimM.A., Department of Turkish LiteratureSupervisor: Laurent MignonJune 2007The aim of this thesis is to explore the imperialist context in Abdülhak HâmidTarhan?s (1852-1937) plays, namely Duhter-i Hindû (1876), Finten (1898), Cünûn-ıAşk (1925-26), Yabancı Dostlar (1924-25) and Yadigâr-ı Harb (1917), by usingpost-colonial theories. In the first chapter, Hâmid?s position towards classicalOttoman Turkish literature and appropriating new genres from Western literaturewas analyzed in relation to the concepts such as ?appropriation? and ?authenticity?.Abdülhak Hâmid was trying to combine new genres with classical Ottoman literarytradition to reach a synthesis.In the second chapter Duhter-i Hindû was read as a political criticism of Britishcolonialism. The third chapter focuses on the conflicts between English society andthe people coming from British colonies, and the psychological effects ofcolonialism on the colonized people. The intertextual relations between Finten andShakespeare?s plays were scrutinized in terms of imperialism.The last chapter focuses on the cultural effects of imperialism in Cünûn-ı Aşk.This chapter also deals with the conflict between imperialism and culture which isapparent in Yadigâr-ı Harb, Yabancı Dostlar and Cünûn-ı Aşk. The thesis concludesthat Abdülhak Hâmid did not only write about political aspects of colonialism butalso emphasized its cultural and psychological effects. The criticism of colonialismin these plays was limited to the British Empire. Hâmid did not only criticizecolonialism but he also undermined essentialist discourses such as Orientalism.Keywords: Appropriation, Colonialism, Culture and Imperialism, Post-colonialStudies