annaboleyne: co-authored with @gevherhans and @giltedges // see end for additional notes In lig

annaboleyne: co-authored with @gevherhans and @giltedges // see end for additional notes In light of the recent spike in interest in the Turkish period drama Payitaht: Abdülhamid, we thought it important to inform potential viewers about the series and what it represents. [1] 1.  Who was Abdülhamid II? Abdülhamid II was the 34th Ottoman Sultan and the last monarch to effectively hold absolute power over the crumbling empire. Although he initially appeared to support liberal reforms set in motion by his predecessors and opened the first session of an elected parliament, Abdülhamid soon proved himself a paranoid, iron-fisted autocrat. Under the pretext of preserving the state, he dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution, concentrating power in his hands alone. Abdülhamid’s reign was marked by brutal persecution of minorities and fierce suppression of political dissent. An estimated 80,000-300,000 Christian Armenians and Assyrians were slaughtered in state-backed pogroms known as the Hamidian Massacres, after which he became nicknamed “the Red Sultan”. His targeting of political opponents, civil society, and the press turned the Empire into a virtual police state; as described by historian Eugene Rogan, Abdülhamid’s reign was an era in which “political activists were imprisoned and exiled, newspapers and magazines were heavily censored, and citizens looked over their shoulders before speaking, fearful of the ubiquitous spies working for the government.” Among other factors, discontent with Abdülhamid’s despotic rule led to the Young Turk Revolution in the summer of 1908; the sultan was forced to capitulate, and the suspended 1876 constitution was restored. After a short-lived conservative uprising the following year, Abdülhamid was finally deposed. Although his brother was proclaimed sultan as Mehmed V, he was effectively a figurehead with no actual power. 2. About Payitaht: Abdülhamid Payitaht: Abdülhamid is a Turkish historical television drama depicting the reign of Abdülhamid II. Premiering in February 2017 on state broadcaster TRT, the show quickly became one of the most-watched shows in the country. To the uninformed viewer, it may at first glance appear to be another period drama in the vein of Muhteşem Yüzyıl or English-language productions like The Crown. It goes without saying that these works of historically-oriented popular entertainment should be examined critically for how they depict the past, and in turn, impact the present. But while these series first and foremost seek to entertain, Payitaht: Abdülhamid has a much more devious goal in mind: propaganda. The show is a strident work of historical revisionism, ultimately seeking to advance a xenophobic, anti-democratic, conspiratorial worldview in which “a free press, secularism and democracy are the work of foreign powers, religious minorities and godless liberals”. The show has particularly drawn criticism for its rampant anti-semitism. Abdülhamid attempts to distinguish between “bad” Jews (Zionists) and “good” Jews (those loyal to the state), but still falls face-first into anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracies straight out of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. “Soon all humankind will only live to serve us Jews, chosen by Jehovah,” proclaims the Jewish villain in one scene. Jews are consistently framed as suspicious and potential traitors, and other minorities fare no better. While the Hamidian Massacres and pogroms go completely ignored, the series collectively portrays the Armenian minority as traitorous foreign collaborators, a stereotype that still carries in modern Turkey, implicity justifying any violence against them. [2] Additionally, figures such as Abdülhamid’s nephew Sultanzade Sabahaddin, are demonized as traitors for their opposition to absolutist rule and support for liberal, democratic principles. Loyalty to the empire — that is, the sultan himself — is the absolute metric by which Abdülhamid defines morality. Overall, Abdülhamid relies heavily on historical revisionism to purposefully push a conservative, xenophobic narrative. For example, he relationship between the sultan and Theodor Herzl — journalist, activist, father of modern political Zionism, and Abdülhamid’s arch-villain — was much more complex than the series portrays. While he failed to gain approval for a Jewish settlement in Ottoman-controlled Palestine, Herzl and Abdülhamid were not adversaries — in fact, he was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Medjidie, an honor bestowed only fifty times in history. [3] But most insidious perhaps is how the serial whitewashes the sultan and casts him as a beleaguered hero: oppressed and not an oppressor, always justified and righteous in his actions. In the world of Abdülhamid, his historically paranoid worldview is rendered undisputed truth. 3. Why you shouldn’t be creating content using Payitaht: Abdülhamid Payitaht: Abdülhamid is state-backed revisionist propaganda, plain and simple: a tool to advance the ideology, goals, and worldview of President Erdoğan and the conservative Islamist AK Parti. Under Erdoğan’s regime, Turkey has witnessed the deterioration of civil rights and political freedoms, a process that has rapidly accelerated after the 2016 failed coup. Among other things, Erdoğan’s government has most infamously jailed more journalists than any other nation, imprisoned opposition leaders, censored the internet and the press, conducted military operations responsible for the deaths of Kurdish civilians, and been suspected of rigging elections.  This is far from an exhaustive list of the harm that he and his party have inflicted. Unlike the international hit Muhteşem Yüzyıl — which drew ire from Turkish conservatives for depictions of sexuality and alcohol, creative license, and portraying imperial figures as flawed, even unsavory characters — Abdülhamid has been enthusiastically embraced by Erdoğan and his Islamist supporters. Despite a brief disclaimer stating it is merely “inspired” by historical events, many of the show’s fans believe it to be a “historically accurate” account that reveals “true history” suppressed by dastardly foreigners. This view is shared by prominent figures such as Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş, who visited the set and praised the series for “‘shedding light’ on the sultan’s life ‘in an objective manner.’” Furthermore, uncanny parallels between Erdoğan and Abdülhamid have not gone unnoticed by critics and supporters alike. “History repeats itself […] these meddling foreigners now call our president a dictator, just as they used to call Abdulhamid the ‘Red Sultan,’” stated Orhan Osmanoğlu, an extant descendant of the Ottomans. Payitaht: Abdülhamid only builds on a mythos linking the two leaders; government officials even reportedly encouraged the production to place the president’s words in the sultan’s mouth. By planting the idea of precedent and injecting present ideas into history, Abdülhamid takes an active role in shoring up Erdoğan’s cult of personality.   Although it may be tempting to mine the lavishly-produced Payitaht: Abdülhamid for content, the fact remains that it is state-backed revisionist propaganda, an ideological tool used to bolster a government responsible for ongoing human rights violations. Ask yourself: considering the context, what am I endorsing by using this content? Content, even recontextualised, cannot exist entirely in a vacuum separate from its creators, monetary sponsors and intended goals. While enjoying television series and researching related historical topics, it is vital to remain conscientious and show sensitivity to people affected — both to those who suffered under the late Ottoman Empire and the modern Turkish state, still within living memory, as well as Turkish citizens and minorities struggling for their rights today. The series may be fantasy, but the damage done has palpable effects. Former parliamentarian Aykan Erdemir aptly describes Abdülhamid as “state propaganda designed to appeal to viewers’ worst instincts and leave them with a revisionist, conspiratorial narrative of Turkish history […] while this account of Abdülhamid’s reign is almost pure fiction, the plight of Turkish citizens living under Erdogan’s increasingly sultanic rule is very much real.” Keep reading -- source link

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