RESEARCH PROPOSAL
TOPIC:
AN EMPIRE OF NOSTALGIA:
TURKISH SERIES “ERTUGRAL GHAZI”
AND
PAKISTAN’S SEARCH FOR AN IDENTITY
NAME: TOOBA ASHRAF
ROLL# MCS 03
MPHIL CULTURAL STUDIES
NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ARTS (NCA), LAHORE.
1
ABSTRACT
This qualitative study is based on the case study of the Turkish historical series “Dirilis
(Resurrection) Ertugrul” and will advance a comparative analysis methodology. It aims to
investigate Muslim nostalgia for the Golden age and the impact of “Dirilis (Resurrection)
Ertugrul” on Pakistan’s identity crisis. This research will further explore the agenda behind
the production and broadcasting of the series in context to Pan-Islamist, Neo-Ottomonist
ideology. It will also observe the audience's reaction on social media by analyzing #Ertugrul
and #ErtugrulGhaziPTV on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter. The research uses various
theoretical lenses to answer the questions.
2
INTRODUCTION
On April 25, 2020, state-run channel PTV (Pakistan Television) broadcasted
“Ertugrul Ghazi”, an Urdu dubbed version of Turkish television series (Resurrection - Dirilis
Ertugrul).
Shortly after its transmission, #ErtugrulUrduPTV and #Erturgul were trending, taking
Pakistan by storm. This stirred a debate on social media and “Ertugural Ghazi” received a
mixed response from the Pakistani audience. Turkish stars were moral policed by Pakistani
fans where they bombard with comments on Esra Bilgiç’s (who plays Halime Sultan)
pictures for not being the ‘modest’ woman in real life and on Engin Altan Duzyatan (who
played Ertugrul) for“keeping a dog indoors despite being Muslim. Many welcomed the series
positively, others including the celebrities were worried about the impact the series will have
on the local entertainment industry, and the remaining lot including political leaders,
academics, and critics see it as propaganda and a threat to Pakistan’s already confused
identity. Pakistan’s response to the series “Ertugrul Ghazi ” has become a hot topic outside
Pakistan, especially in India. But why is there a controversy over it?
The series depicts the semi-historical life of Oghuz Turk leader, Ertugrul and his
son’s Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire. ​The plot also revolves around the figures
of Ibn Arabi from Andalusia and the Knight Claudius who later becomes Omar after
accepting Islam. ​The series was aimed to project Islam as a peaceful religion to counter
Islamophobia and the neo-orientalist depiction of Islam in Hollywood and Bollywood films.
But the series is suspected to have a hidden agenda more than countering Islamophobia. It is
believed that it was produced to evoke Turkish nostalgia for Ottoman Caliphate. The debate
around the transmission of “Ertugral” is due to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks that he
wanted to promote a series that shows “Islamic culture”. Iftikhar Durrani, one of Khan’s
3
advisors said that this would show “glorifying Muslim heroes and Islamic history.” Apart
from this he also wants to broadcast another Turkish series, titled “Yunus Emre (Aşkın
Yolculuğu) - the Dervish, based on the life of an Islamic poet, a mystic & a poor villager and
suggested Pakistani youth to read “Lost Islamic History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilisation
from the Past” by Firas Alkhateeb. The statements given by the Pakistani government are
problematic. Pakistan’s false nostalgia for an imagined past, its ideological identification with
a fictionalized series and cultural association with Turkish culture might evoke an identity
crisis in the country. As Mehmet Bozdağ, the writer and the producer of the series have
quoted:
“There is very little information about the period we are presenting — not exceeding
4-5 pages. Even the names are different in every source. The first works written about the
establishment of the Ottoman State were about 100-150 years later. There is no certainty in
this historical data… we are shaping a story by dreaming.” 1
Considering Imran Khan’s recommendations and Pakistan’s response to “Ertugrul” on
social media, my argument problematizes Pakistan’s ideological identification with “Ertugrul
Ghazi” and it's false nostalgia for Islamic Golden Age. Are the series historically accurate or
is it a part of an agenda? What impact this ideological identification can have on the identity
of Pakistan? Will it push Pakistan further into the darkness of the Identity crisis? How
Pakistanis are reacting on Social media? What kind of debate is circulating on the internet?
To answer all my questions, I will be taking the Turkish series “Ertugrul Ghazi’ as a case
study to investigate the impact on its fictional narrative on Pakistani online audiences.
1
Pervez Hoodbhoy. “Dangerous Delusions - Ertugrul Mania,” June 6, 2020.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1561638.
4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
● How the Turkish series“Ertugrul Ghazi” can evoke an identity crisis in Pakistan? How
is it being received by the local audience and how are they reacting on social media?
■ Is the narrative of“Resurrection-Ertugrul” historically accurate or is it
being used as a political tool to propagate a certain agenda? If so, how
can the agenda affect Pakistan?
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES​:
Research Aim: The purpose of this research is to critically assess the ideological
impact of “Dirili (Resurrection) -Ertugrul” on the identity crisis of Pakistan and the response
of the local audience on social media. Following research objectives would facilitate the
achievement of this aim:
● The main objective of the research is to comparatively analyze the historical account
of the “Ertuğrul” with the fictional series “Dirili (Resurrection) -Ertuğrul” to
understand the agenda behind the production and broadcasting of the series in context
to Pan-Islamist,Neo-Ottomonist ideology.
● To explore whether a fictional series has the ability to invoke false nostalgia to
achieve a political goal.
● To observe the audience's reaction on social media by analyzing “Ertugrul” related
posts and comments on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.
5
● To forecast the implications of the propagandist fictional narrative on the identity
crisis of Pakistan.
LITERATURE REVIEW
As George Orwell writes, “He who controls the present, controls the past. He who
controls the past controls the future.”2
This phrase explains how the present power elites control history to rule in the future.
A similar narrative can be seen in “Ertugrul” where Turkey's rise of Neo-Ottomanism also
characterizes the world we live in, as every society needs to construct a version of its past.
Moeed Pirzadaa (2020), examines the public debate over “Ertugrul” which is not being
perceived merely as a drama series but as a question of national identity - as part of the larger
Muslim world. According to him Pakistan’s emotional attachment with a romanticized
narrative of the series might push Pakistan further into the darkness of the national identity
crisis. He has analyzed different opinions on the “Ertugrul Ghazi''; (1) The liberal community
including the opposition leader Jibran Nasir who think that this could lead to an identity
crisis; (2) the academic community who think that Pakistan does not belong to Arab nor to
India or the Middle East. This area has its distinct heritage and history.. (3) And the third
group including many Indians think that Pakistan was part of the Indian Sub-Continent and
its cultures and traditions should be similar to India’s rather than Turkey’s. (4) The fourth
group argues that Turkish dramas are being telecasted in Pakistan for a decade now, why
wasn’t there an uproar for the previous dramas, for example, the transmission of “The
Magnificent - Suleiman''. 3 Türker Elitas and K. I. R. Serpil (2019), says that the narrative of
2
Reilly, Patrick, and George Orwell. Nineteen eighty-four: past, present, and future. Twayne
Publishers​.
3
Dr. Moeed Pirzada, 2020. “Ertugrul: Pakistan's Identity Crisis or Real Identity?” [online] Youtube. Available
at: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKAGPSwC6Xw​. [Accessed 08 June 2020]
6
“Resurrection-Ertugrul '' focuses on the history of the Ottoman Empire in context to Turkey's
new national and international policies. They explain that Diriliş-Ertugrul is not only a
historical series but is a political series to propagate neo-Ottomanism. Turkey’s new political
identity focuses on national and international Muslim solidarity to revive the authority
Ottomon held once on the Muslim world. 4 Senem B. Çevik (2019) argues that the series
“Resurrection” produced by TRT is based on AKP’s (Justice and Development Party)
populist-nationalism and political discourse and draws parallels between Ottomon Past with
AKP’s contemporary political situation. According to the author, the television series is
political propaganda to reconstruct new Turkey; Neo-Ottomanism.5 The article gives an
overview of How “Ertugrul” is moral policing, 6
Pan Islamism means union of all Muslims, because According to the Quran and
traditions of the Prophet's based on no division of geographical boundaries or nationalities.
But the rapid expansion of Muslim Empires didn’t allow the realization of cultural unity. Pan
Islamism was a political and ideological movement that emerged from the late 1870s and was
put into practice by then Turkish ruler Abdul Hamid II. The term was used by the Europeans
to identify the growing religious nationalistic sentiments of Muslims against colonial
discrimination. 7 Camel Aydin, an Associate Professor at Department of History, University
of North Carolina, he argues that the concept of solidarity of Muslim or Pan Islamism didn’t
originate from Prophet Muhammad’s era or Quran but it is modern-day concept emerged
4
Türker Elitas and K. I. R. Serpil. "Reading Turkey’s New Vision Based Real Policies through an Identity and
their Presentation in Series as a Soft Power: A Study on the Series, Resurrection-Ertugrul." Journal of Social
Sciences (COES&RJ-JSS) 8, no. 1 (2019): 41-62.
5
Senem B Çevik,. "Turkish historical television series: public broadcasting of neo-Ottoman illusions." Southeast
European and Black Sea Studies 19, no. 2 (2019): 227-242.
6
“'Ertuğrul' Stars Esra Bilgiç, Engin Altan Fall Prey to Pakistan's 'Moral Brigade'.” the news. The News
International, May 12, 2020.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/657767-ertuğrul-stars-esra-bilgic-engin-altan-fall-prey-to-pakistans-moral-b
rigade​.
7
​Özcan, Azmi. ​Pan-Islamism: Indian Muslims, the Ottomans and Britain, 1877-1924.​ Vol. 12. Brill, 1997.
7
during the mid 19th century as a reaction to European colonialism and the Muslims are still
dealing with its legacy in the form of Islamophobia. He concludes that Muslims today need to
address the present situation by inquiring about global intellectual history instead of
reminiscing for an imaginary past.8 A. D. Brown and M. Humphreys (2002), analyze
Turkey’s nostalgia for the Golden Age by studying Hera College’s transformation to Hero
College where identity narrative was based on Kemalism. The authors show how groups
share myths to form their collective identity and theorize nostalgia as a political tool for
individual-organization identification. 9 According to Wolf Kansteiner, the cultural memory
comprises that body of reusable texts, images, and rituals specific to each society. Upon such
collective knowledge, each group bases its awareness of identity.
10
Thomas Barfield (2018)
explains why the concept of the caliphate in the 21st century is flawed. Until the First world
war, empires were the dominant form of rule. There were two forms of empires; primary
empires and shadow empires. The former was composed of large, self-owned empires like
Byzantine, Persian, Mughal the latter empires were shadow empires that were formed in
response to the primary empire. One such empire is known as “empires of nostalgia” these
empires longed for an extinct empire. Similarly, the concept of Islamic state longs for the
re-establishment of a dead caliphate.
11
Nostalgia is analyzed through two perspectives, in the
first how nostalgia abused individual collective memory and second how nostalgia
problematized the relations between producers and consumers.12 Pierre Nora talks about the
collective that real memory has largely been pushed aside, if not eradicated by creating
8
C. Aydin, 2015. Muslim World Or Ummah? Origins, Content, And Evolution Of Pan-Islamic Thought.
[online] Youtube. Available at: <​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5mhKzqI1QY&t=3773s​> [Accessed 10
June 2020].
9
Andrew D​ ​Brown, and Michael Humphreys. "Nostalgia and the narrativization of identity: A Turkish case
study." ​British Journal of Management​ 13, no. 2 (2002): 141-159.
10
​Wolf Kansteiner,. "Finding meaning in memory: A methodological critique of collective memory studies."
History and theory 41, no. 2 (2002): 179-197.
11
Thomas Barfield, (2018). The Islamic State as an Empire of Nostalgia. Mizan. 1.
12
Sean Scanlan, "Introduction: nostalgia." Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies 5, no. 1 (2004): 3-9.
8
critical historical accounts. 13 The editing of history is done through Historical revisionism.
The term Historical Revisionism became famous by Lenin in the 19th century when he
insulted socialist reformer Eduard Bernstein for distancing himself from Karl Marx
(1818-1883) and considered Lenin thought he Marxist theory due to changing Western
capitalist society. Today the majority of history is revisionist interpretations that we take from
university chairs or cultural pundits, trying to dismantle the “truths”, at times mythologized,
of traditional historiography. 14 According to Shawn J. Parry Giles (2002), propaganda as
“conceived of as strategically devised messages that are disseminated to masses of people by
an institution for the purpose of generating action benefiting its source”
P.R Kumaraswamy (2006) says that the Middle East is vast land inhabited by diverse
communities consisting of ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identities. Yet no factor
could unite their diverse national identity. They suffer from a national identity crisis.
Moreover, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, many of the Ottoman states disintegrated into
different nations and have been unable to define, project, and maintain a national identity.
Kumaraswamy asserts that the reason for this identity crisis is due to the following reasons
(1) Imperialist Identity (2) Religious Identity (3) Expansionist Identity (4) Transitional
Identity (5) Stateless Identity. The author asserts that the Middle East is internally diverse and
a narrow exclusive definition of Identity cannot be imposed. 15 Dr. Datta G. Sawant gives an
overview of Said, Spivak and Bhabha postcolonial theories, its roots, development, major
critics, principles, issues, covering area, and different forms. 16 This paper focuses on
Pakistan's struggle for identity and survival in the postmodern world and how it is connected
13
Pierre Nora, "Between memory and history: Les lieux de mémoire." Representations (1989): 7-24​.
Giovanni C Cattini,. "Historical Revisionism: The reinterpretation of history in contemporary political
debate." Transfer 06 (2011): 30-37.
15
P R, Kumaraswamy. (2006). Who am I? The identity crisis in the Middle East. Middle East Review of
International Affairs. 10.
16
Dr. Datta. Sawant, (2011). Perspectives on Post-colonial Theory: Said, Spivak and Bhabha. Literary
Endeavor. 2. 129-135.
14
9
to educational reforms in a postcolonial world. In the past and even in the present day,
schools have been used to develop national identity and cohesion among different ethnic
groups but Pakistan has not been able to use this potential weapon developing national
cohesion and identity. 17 There are three different usages of identity theory; some theorists use
identity to refer to the culture of the people, they evaluate the definition of identity in context
to its ethnicity. Calhoun’s (1994) identity politics is an example where identity is defined by
significance of power and hierarchy. Other identity theorists associated the term with
common identification with a collective or social category. This was known as social identity
theory proposed by Henri tajfel (1979). According to this theory a person’s sense of identity
is based on their group membership with the society. We divided the world into “them” and
“us” through the process of social categorization.
18
In the article critical discourse analysis
and Identity, the authors John O Regan and Karin Zotzmann introduces to approaches to
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), one Ruth Wodak’s discourse-historical approach and
Norman Fairclough’s dialectical-relational approach to understand and to show how to utilise
their approaches in language and identity research.
19
Stuart Hall argues using encoding/decoding that the communication between the
production elites in broadcasting and their audiences is necessarily a form of 'systematically
distorted communication'. Hall sees television production as a series of codes and signs that
are constructed to send specific messages. He also discusses the role that television
production plays in encouraging a “preferred meaning or reading,” and he also discusses the
issue of misreading signs.
17
20
Theodor W. Adorno (1975) asserts in "Culture Industry
Nelofer Halai, "Schooling in Postcolonial Pakistan and its Struggle for Identity." NUML Journal of Critical
Inquiry 10, no. 2 (2012).
18
, Sheldon​ ​Stryker, and Peter J. Burke. "The past, present, and future of an identity theory." ​Social psychology
quarterly​ (2000): 284-297.
19
Ana​ ​Caballero-Mengíbar, . "Critical discourse analysis in the study of representation, identity politics and
power relations: a multi-method approach." (2015).
20
​Hall, Stuart. "Encoding and decoding in the television discourse." (1973).
10
Reconsidered" that the idea of happiness produced for the masses by the culture industry is
imaginary, it induces people to pursue unachievable dreams and represses all those that can
oppose it, Adorna calls the term "mass deception". 21 According to the article the Classic
agenda-setting theory is concerned with the impact created by the media, especially by news
media (media agenda) on public opinion (public agenda). The demonstrated that the media
have the ability to impose on public opinion the belief about the importance of certain topics issues, problems. It also shows that we are currently witnessing a transformation of the
relations between the media sphere and the public sphere. The voice of new media in the
media sphere is increasingly stronger.The impact of the media agenda on the public agenda
was not significantly weakened as a result of the development of new media. 22 ‘Homo
mediatus’ might be described as a person whose social and individual existence has been
determined and considerably shaped by media content as a product generated by a powerful
segment of modern economy, the media industry, and consumed in the processes of mass and
individual mostly digital communi- cation, as well as by the growing importance of
communication relations for an individual.23 Henri Jenkins and Yochai Benkler proposed that
the emergence of new media provided unrestricted access to the system of cultural exchange
and supported a more democratic process of production and distribution in the media
industry. 24 Papacharissi argued that the internet has created a platform for the discussion
because. ‘Anonymity online obliterates real-life identity boundaries and enhances free and
21
Theodor W. Adorno, and Anson G. Rabinbach. "Culture industry reconsidered." New German Critique 6
(1975): 12-19.
22
Ewa Nowak "Agenda-setting theory and the new media." Studia Medioznawcze Media Studies 3, no. 66
(2016): 11-24.
23
Sabína Gáliková Tolnaiová, "MEDIA AND TRUTH IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PRACTICE AND
LIFE FORM OF THE MODERN “HOMO MEDIALIS." ​Communication Today​ 10, no. 1 (2019): 4-19.
24
Henry Jenkins, "What happened before YouTube." YouTube: Online video and participatory culture (2009):
109-125.
11
open communication, thus promoting a more enlightened exchange of ideas. 25
According to Milliken and O’Donnell, user-generated videos allow for “self-expression and
exchange that is open, accessible, compelling, unconstrained and unmediated within the
forum of the Internet.26 Pierre Levy referred to this as the emergence of collective
intelligence. 27 Lawrence Lessig said that the internet shifted ‘read-only’ media culture into a
‘read/write’ culture thi gave an opportunity to participate among media audiences. The
freedom to read and write ourselves has opened the religious debate on social media.
YouTube,is an example of ‘read/write’ culture that is filled with both creators and viewers
alike. 28
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This research proposal establishes a theoretical framework to help explain the issues
identified above.The literature review found that the narrative of “Dirilis (ResurrectionErtugrul) is not entirely a true depiction of Ertugural’s real life, perhaps Ertugural’s
exaggerated portrayal might be used as a hidden agenda. Much of the study’s theoretical
frame is based on Propaganda theory to analyze how the power elites of Turkey used the
series as propaganda to establish a certain narrative. Shawn J. Parry-Giles (2002), defined
propaganda as “conceived of as strategically devised messages that are disseminated to
masses of people by an institution for the purpose of generating action benefiting its source”
Leo Bogart (1995) asserts, “Propaganda is an art requiring special talent. It is not mechanical,
25
Zizi Papacharissi, ed. A networked self: Identity, community, and culture on social network sites. Routledge,
2010.
26
Richard Rogers, "Internet research: The question of method—A keynote address from YouTube and the 2008
election cycle in the United States Conference." ​Journal of Information Technology & Politics​ 7, no. 2-3 (2010):
241-260.
27
Pierre​ ​Lévy, and Robert Bononno. ​Collective intelligence: Mankind's emerging world in cyberspace​. Perseus
books, 1997.
28
Lawrence Lessig, Code: And other laws of cyberspace. ReadHowYouWant. com, 2009.
12
scientific work. Influencing attitudes requires experience, area knowledge, and instinctive
judgment of what is the best argument for the audience.29 Alex Carey (1997) said
“communications where the form and content is selected with the single-minded purpose of
bringing some target audience to adopt attitudes and beliefs chosen in advance by the
sponsors of the communications”. In 1988, Edward S.Herman and Noam Chomsky presented
a propaganda model to explain how the power elites passively manipulate people’s mind and
manufacture consent for economic, social, and political policies. 30
Historical revision is a form of propaganda, thorough revisionist approach history is
manipulated for political purposes. This is apparent in the narrative of “Dirilis- Resurrection
Ertugrul” where. The term historical revisionism means the re-interpretation of an historical
account. James McPherson argues that the historical narratives are reworked deliberately and
maliciously to serve a purpose, whether political or ideological. He said that historical
revisionism seeking the truth is an integral part to understand a different perspective on
historical events. 31 Another form of manipulating history is through exploiting collective
memory. (Dirilis- Resurrection Ertugrul) was made to revive Islamic Golden Age, this revival
is pushing the audiences to feel the falsely nostalgic for Imagined past. False nostalgia, a term
used to define the longing for or reminiscence of an era which you did not actually grow up
in, having only experienced the era through it's movies, TV shows, music, etc; not based on
actual life experiences.32 Collective memory plays a significant role in the construction of
identities. The concept of cultural memory is made with the body of reusable texts, images,
Leo​ ​Bogart, and Agnes Bogart. ​Cool words, cold war: a new look at USIA's Premises for propaganda​. Univ
Pr of Amer, 1995.
30
Alex Carey, Taking the risk out of democracy: Corporate propaganda versus freedom and liberty. University
of Illinois Press, 1997.
31
Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. ​Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media​.
Random House, 2010.
32
​“False Nostalgia.” n.d. Urban Dictionary. Accessed June 9, 2020.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=false nostalgia.
29
13
and rituals specific to each society in each epoch, whose "cultivation" serves to stabilize and
convey that society's self-image. According to the Instrumentalist approach elites can
manipulate collective memories for their political benefits. Ruling elites or political regimes
can create a narrative that can become a society’s truth. The perspective of the past they show
is deviant from actual historical accounts. Hence exploitation of collective memory becomes
the continuation of politics in another form. According to Berger (2012) “A form of power
where reconstruction of memory is used to provide legitimacy to elites and their policies.”33
Instrumentalist approach asserts that every state reinterprets a “usable past,”to construct the
nation's history. Novick argues that memories are “a-historical and even anti historical
because they focus on the continuity of the past in the present, negating historicity, and the
complexity of the past.” 34 John W. Dower said that memory reduces “events to mythic
archetypes” and eternal truths. Memory is composed of heroic narratives, which simply
demand simple and unilinear stories. These narratives contradict the assumptions of
historiography and its need of complexity and multiplicity. Dower underlines
memorialization as a form of intimate human-interest stories, populated by heroes and
villains rather than by actual complex historical figures. Just like The Instrumentalist
approach asserts that agents select the construction of collective memories. Dower says
collective memory is as much about forgetting as about remembering that elites suppress the
memory for political purposes. 35
The study draws upon Michel Foucault’s conception of discourse as knowledge and
power. He argued that “Discourse means you have a range of statements that provides a
33
J. David Hacker , and James M. McPherson. "A Census-Based Count of the Civil War Dead: With
Introductory Remarks by James M. McPherson." Civil War History 57, no. 4 (2011): 307-348.
34
Peter Novick,The Holocaust and collective memory: The American experience. London: Bloomsbury, 2000.
35
John Dower, War without mercy: Race and power in the Pacific War. Pantheon, 2012.Dower, John. War
without mercy: Race and power in the Pacific War. Pantheon, 2012.
14
language with the way of talking about something. It provides a language with a way of
representing knowledge about a particular subject matter at a particular given historical
juncture. 36 For Foucault, “Discourse is about the production of knowledge through
language---that there are rules and practices that produce meaningful statements and that
regulate discourse in particular historical periods”. So for Foucault meaning and meaningful
practices are constructed through discourse. While explaining disciplinary power, Foucault
asserted that the individual is a construction of disciplinary power. The disciplinary power
uses a rational self-control which in practice means that the disciplinary power is passively
internalized and doesn't need external force. Stuart Hall argued, “All practices entail
meaning and meaning shapes and influences what we do---all the practices that we have
possess a discursive aspect to them” 37 In order to understand the identity crisis of Pakistan
uses Postcolonial theory and Neo Colonial theory to understand the root cause of the crisis in
the contemporary world. The modern muslim identity crisis is due to Western Islamophobia,
this Islamophobia dates back to Muslim discrimination during the colonial era.
(Dirilis-Resurection Ertughrul) is funded to bring the lost identity back. According to
Postcolonial theory, after the end of colonial rule, the decolonized people developed a hybrid
identity, postcolonial identity that was a by product of colonial cultural interactions between
different identities (cultural, national, and ethnic as well as gender and class based) which
were assigned varying degrees of social power by the colonial society. On the other hand
Neocolonialism practiced the discrimination in the form of capitalism, globalisation, cultural
imperialism, and conditional aid to influence a developing country through indirect political
control (hegemony) instead of the previous colonial methods of direct military control
36
Stuart Hall, "Foucault: Power, knowledge and¢." Discourse theory and practice: A reader (2001): 72.
Stuart​ ​Hall, "The West and the rest: Discourse and power." ​Race and Racialization, 2E: Essential Readings
(1992): 85-95.
37
15
(imperialism). 38
To understand the audience reaction on social media the paper will use Reception
theory Reception theory is referred to as audience reception in the analysis of
communications models. Hans-Robert Jauss wrote about reception theory in the late 1960s.
Stuart Hall is one of the prominent names in reception theory, His approach 'Encoding and
Decoding in the Television Discourse' is textual analysis that explains the "negotiation" and
"opposition" by the ​audience​. He asserted that "a text—be it a book, movie, or other creative
work—is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader/viewer interprets
the meanings of the text based on her or his individual cultural background and life
experiences.” In this way the meaning of a text is not natural but created through interaction
between the text and the reader. Hall introduced the theory of encoding and decoding. Other
than hall Reception theory has been explored by Susan Bennett and is often credited with the
beginning of this discourse. The Reception theory has also been applied to the analysis of
history John Dixon Hunt.
RESEARCH DESIGN
This qualitative study is based on the case study of Turkish historical series “Dirilis
(Resurrection) Ertugrul” and will advance a comparative analysis methodology combining a
number of in-depth qualitative approaches including observational study of social to decode
the audience's response. In the first phase phase: (1) Ertugurl’s real historical account will be
comparatively analyzed with the narrative of the series “Dirilis Ertugrul” (2) then the political
impetus behind the emergence of Neo-Ottomanist,Pan Islamist agenda will be analyzed (3).
Next, an observational study of all the Ertugrul related posts and comments will be done
38
Stephanie Lawson, "Postcolonialism, neo-colonialism and the “Pacific Way”: a critique of (un) critical
approaches." (2010).
16
using encoding/decoding methods and in order to ascertain the implication of Pakistan's
emerging identity crisis. The final phase of the research will consist of substantial periods of
observational research of Social Media audience reception. In order to draw a conclusion
whether a functional series can push Pakistan further into the darkness of identity crisis.
17
18
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adorno, Theodor W., and Anson G. Rabinbach. "Culture industry reconsidered." ​New
German Critique​ 6 (1975): 12-19.
Ana Caballero-Mengíbar, . "Critical discourse analysis in the study of representation, identity
politics and power relations: a multi-method approach." (2015).
Aydin, C., 2015. Muslim World Or Ummah? Origins, Content, And Evolution Of
Pan-Islamic Thought. [online] Youtube. Available at:
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5mhKzqI1QY&t=3773s> [Accessed 10 June 2020].
Barfield, Thomas. (2018). The Islamic State as an Empire of Nostalgia. Mizan. 1.
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