Politics of Time, Space and Memory for the Centenary of Dardanelles Campaign: A Neoliberal Agenda for a Memory Space

Abstract

2015 is an important year for Turkish historical memory, as we are to think about and interpret once again two very important historical events, one of which is the centenary of war of Dardanelles and Gallipoli, while the other is the centenary of the genocide of Armenians. Since 1915, the importance of the legend attached to war and heroism, myths and stories generate major founding canons of the new Republic and Turkish nationalism. Works have been done on this subject recently, on Memorials in Gallipoli Peninsula. It has been a popular destination for domestic daily package touristic tours as well as a hajj place for mostly popular supporters and boosters of JDP in the last decade that changes the physical environment and the legal and economic conditions of the area, opening the national park into construction and market relations.

As we know that historical memory is current and political. It is constructed with respect to various needs and aspirations of the contemporary social relations. The meaning attributed to memorials change from time to time, not only as a mere function of chronological time, but rather depends on changing social and political relations, the atmosphere, and the zeitgeist of the time. One of the points I like to discuss here is the changes neoliberal agenda bring to memory places, as a prominent example, historical memorials in Gallipoli Peninsula turned out to be representatives of national to religious identity; commemorations were also changed especially in the last ten years, from national celebrations of the 60s and 70s, the area turned out to be a religious visiting place, a ziyaret. The elements including the shape of the burying places, and the commemorations, type of memory has changed drastically. In the meantime the way in which popular culture grasped and reshaped the historical content and symbolic value of the war and martyrdom is also changing. Next year, in 2015 there will be a huge program of commemorations related to that event all over Turkey, with a blend of postmodern, hybrid configuration for mass consumption, reproducing a religious, nationalist and popular cultural content for contemporary ideological and cultural needs of Turkish nationalism and the JDP Government.

For the centenary there are efforts on different levels such as Governorship of Çanakkale or formation of an agency to choose, support and perform various events for next year. In this paper I like to discuss the recent experience and the construction of memory in the plans for the centenary of war at Dardanelles in the light of recent changes in the area as a very important memory place in recent Turkish history. To present the changing historical content and symbolism adhered to War Memorials in Gallipoli Peninsula I will try to depict the changing character attributed to war fields and Gallipoli Peninsula in due course and the increasing amount of interest that goes along with the narratives and touristic activities, daily package tours organized by municipal authorities all over Turkey towards 2015.