Research Article

Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives

Volume: 15 Number: 2 December 31, 2025
TR EN

Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives

Abstract

Nationalist movements, which gained momentum following the French Revolution, contributed to the decline of multinational empires and paved the way for the emergence of nation-states. This led to a re-examination of the concepts of nation and nationalism by intellectuals. By combining modernist theories that argue that the concept of nation can be constructed, invented, and imagined with ethnosymbolist ideas that argue that the origins of the nation are rooted in shared values, myths, symbols, and memories, our study has presented a model that examines the process of national identity construction within the context of translation, history, and folklore. Our study aims to demonstrate that elite archetypes can utilize cultural elements derived from the translation of folkloric narratives in the construction of national identity. To test this idea, the examples of Bozkurt and Ergenekon are used within our five-stage model. Consequently, it is demonstrated that motifs such as Bozkurt (Greywolf) and Demirci (Forger), derived from these narratives that were transferred through translation from Chinese sources, were used by elite archetypes to construct national identity in the people's perception. Our study is qualitative research that includes a literature review, purposive sampling, and a case study on the Bozkurt epic.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Muhammed Mustafa SARAÇ is supported under the TÜBİTAK Science Fellowships and Grant Programme Directorate (BİDEB) 2211-National PhD Scholarship Programs.

Ethical Statement

This study does not involve human or animal participants. All procedures followed scientific and ethical principles, and all referenced studies are appropriately cited. This article is derived from an unpublished doctoral thesis prepared by Muhammed Mustafa SARAÇ under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Giray FİDAN at the Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University Institute of Graduate Programs.

References

  1. Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Rev. ed.). Verso.
  2. Aristotle. (2017). Politika (F. Akderin, Çev.; 3. bs.). Say Yayınları.
  3. Blanchard, K. (1983). [Review of the book the history of folklore in Europe, by G. Cocchiara; J. N. McDaniel, Trans.]. American Ethnologist, 10(1), 200–201. https://doi.org/10.1525/ae.1983.10.1.02a00250
  4. Confucius. (2013). Analects: With selections from traditional commentaries (E. G. Slingerland, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company.
  5. Conversi, D. (2007). Mapping the field: Theories of nationalism and the ethnosymbolic approach. In S. Grosby & A. S. Leoussi (Eds.), Nationalism and ethnosymbolism: History, culture and ethnicity in the formation of nations (pp. 15–30). Edinburgh University Press.
  6. Conversi, D. (2012). Modernism and nationalism. Journal of Political Ideologies, 17(1), 13–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569317.2012.644982
  7. Çandarlıoğlu, G. (1975). Türk destan ve kahramanları (V) Bozkurt. Ötüken, 136(4), 18–19. https://www.milliyetcidergiler.org/dergi/otuken-sayi-136-1975/13355
  8. Erkoç, H. İ. (2018). Çin ve Tibet kaynaklarına göre Göktürk mitleri. Belleten, 82(293), 51–82. https://doi.org/10.37879/belleten.2018.51

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Cultural Studies (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 31, 2025

Submission Date

November 14, 2025

Acceptance Date

December 26, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 15 Number: 2

APA
Saraç, M. M., & Fidan, G. (2025). Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives. Düzce Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 15(2), 111-125. https://doi.org/10.55179/dusbed.1823875
AMA
1.Saraç MM, Fidan G. Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives. DÜSOBED. 2025;15(2):111-125. doi:10.55179/dusbed.1823875
Chicago
Saraç, Muhammed Mustafa, and Giray Fidan. 2025. “Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives”. Düzce Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 15 (2): 111-25. https://doi.org/10.55179/dusbed.1823875.
EndNote
Saraç MM, Fidan G (December 1, 2025) Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives. Düzce Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 15 2 111–125.
IEEE
[1]M. M. Saraç and G. Fidan, “Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives”, DÜSOBED, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 111–125, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.55179/dusbed.1823875.
ISNAD
Saraç, Muhammed Mustafa - Fidan, Giray. “Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives”. Düzce Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 15/2 (December 1, 2025): 111-125. https://doi.org/10.55179/dusbed.1823875.
JAMA
1.Saraç MM, Fidan G. Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives. DÜSOBED. 2025;15:111–125.
MLA
Saraç, Muhammed Mustafa, and Giray Fidan. “Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives”. Düzce Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, vol. 15, no. 2, Dec. 2025, pp. 111-25, doi:10.55179/dusbed.1823875.
Vancouver
1.Muhammed Mustafa Saraç, Giray Fidan. Constructing National Identity Through The Translation of Folkloric Narratives. DÜSOBED. 2025 Dec. 1;15(2):111-25. doi:10.55179/dusbed.1823875