Translation and identity: a case study on Eda: an anthology of contemporary Turkish poetry

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to present a case study on Eda: An Anthology of Contemporary Turkish Poetry (2004). This anthology is edited and mainly translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat. The anthology is analyzed with an orientation towards finding out how Turkish culture is represented in the work and the relationship of this representation with the existing stereotypical representation of Turkish culture. For this purpose, paratextual elements of the anthology are analyzed in the second chapter. It is seen that the "otherness" of Turkish culture is pointed out in these paratextual elements which emphasize the metaphysical aspect of contemporary Turkish poetry. In the third chapter of the thesis, target poems presented in the anthology are analyzed in comparison with their source poems in Turkish in order to find out the parallelism between Nemet-Nejat's arguments in the paratexts and his translation strategies. It is seen that sensuality and spirituality appear as the distinctive characteristics of Turkish culture as a result of Nemet-Nejat's translational decisions. The similarities between the discourse of this anthology and the stereotypical representation of Turkish culture and identity are tried to be displayed in the fourth chapter. Based on the results of this case study which focuses on the analysis and evaluation of the translation strategies of Nemet-Nejat, it is argued that this anthology seems to point out the most marked stereotypical images related to Turkish culture and reinforce the stereotypical representation of Turkish culture by essentializing the difference between the source and target cultures.