"The Entel" representations of a degenerated intellectual figure in cartoon strips

Abstract

This thesis tries to understand the emergence of the entel type, a caricature of intellectuals which became popular around the mid 80's in various Turkish cartoon magazines and newspapers. It is not an all encompassing research about cartoons that figured the entel type. Rather, it uses a collection of such cartoons to illustrate a trend that mocked and deprivileged intellectuals during this period, and tries to understand why and how the entel type has become so popular specifically during the mid 80's. Of course, such an endeavor necessitates contemplating on the changing mind sets and cultural climate of the era, as well as an overview of the parallel receptions of intellectuals in the Turkish historical context, which are the two essential issues dealt within this study.It is possible to claim that the entel figure has emerged as an extension of the intellectual-people opposition, the origins of which go back to the Tanzimat era. However, the entel has its peculiar characteristics which make him/her a representative figure of the mood of the post-80's era. In this study, the entel is analyzed first in terms of iconography, gender, and life style. The entel's adventures within the city venues, his/her encounters with other nascent urban figures are also discussed as well as his/her mood that is saturated with a feeling of melancholia and cynicism.