The Republic of Love

by Stokes, Martin

• ISBN13: 9780226775067
• ISBN10: 0226775062
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

At the heart ofThe Republic of Loveare the voices of three musiciansqueer nightclub star Zeki Muren,arabeskoriginator Orhan Gencebay, and pop diva Sezen Aksuwho collectively have dominated mass media in Turkey since the early 1950s. Their fame and ubiquity have made them national iconsbut, Martin Stokes here contends, they do not represent the official version of Turkish identity propagated by anthems or flags; instead they evoke a much more intimate and ambivalent conception of Turkishness. Using these three singers as a lens, Stokes examines Turkey's repressive politics and civil violence as well as its uncommonly vibrant public life in which music, art, literature, sports, and journalism have flourished. However, Stokes's primary concern is how Muren, Gencebay, and Aksu's music and careers can be understood in light of theories of cultural intimacy. In particular, he considers their contributions to the development of a Turkish concept of love, analyzing the ways these singers explore the private matters of intimacy, affection, and sentiment on the public stage.

Author Biography

Martin Stokes is university lecturer in ethnomusicology at Oxford University and a fellow of St. John's College, Oxford. He is the author or editor or several books including The Arabesk Debate: Music and Musicians in Modern Turkey.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Note on Orthography, Notational Conventions, and Names	p. xiii
List of Illustrations	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
Zeki Müren: Sun of Art, Ideal Citizen	p. 35
The Affectionate Modernism of Orhan Gencebay	p. 73
Why Cry? Sezen Aksu's Diva Citizenship	p. 107
Three Versions of "Beloved Istanbul"	p. 147
Conclusion	p. 189
Sources	p. 195
Index	p. 213
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.