Stories of Authenticity and Resistance: Popular Music’s Protest Potential

Yıl 2014, Cilt: 17 (1) Sayı: 33, 39 - 68, 01.06.2014

Lyndon C. S. Way Cansu Süer

Öz

Turkish governments, whether the governing Justice and Development Party AKP or the oppositional Republican People Party (CHP), have adopted neo-liberal economic policies since the 1980s. However, AKP has embraced these on an unprecedented scale. Many of these discourses are articulated in the media while protest is all but silenced due to close relations between media and politics in Turkey. Popular music is no exception, its content, performance, distribution and broadcasting closely scrutinized and controlled. Despite these conditions, some music videos question government policies. This paper analyses visuals, lyrics and sounds of Mor ve Ötesi’s Şirket to reveal how neo-liberalism is criticised whilst the band is authenticated as legitimate protest musicians. It is argued that protests to neo-liberalism and band authenticity are articulated through abstractions and metaphor. As such, issues are blurred at the expense of more coherent arguments against neo-liberalism, thus questioning the role musical protest has in political debate in Turkey

Anahtar Kelimeler

Popular music, video, politics, Turkey, protest, multi-modal analysis, authenticity

Özgünlük ve Direniş Hikâyeleri: Popüler Müzikte Protesto Potansiyeli

Öz

1980’li yıllardan itibaren Türkiye siyasetinde baskın olan siyasal partiler nasıl tanımlandıklarına bakılmaksızın neo-liberal ekonomi politikalarını benimsemiştir. Bu ekonomik program 2002 yılından bu yana iktidarda bulunan Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) zamanında oldukça büyük bir ivme kazanmıştır. Ayrıca medya ve siyaset arasındaki yakın ilişkilerden dolayı hükümet söylemlerinin çoğu medyada yansıtılırken, protestolar da susturulmuştur. Pop müzik de gerek içeriği ve performansı, gerekse dağıtım ve yayınlanması açısından sıkı bir kontrol altında tutulmakta ve dolayısıyla istisna olmaksızın söz edilen medya unsurları arasında yerini almaktadır. Buna rağmen, bazı müzik videoları hükümet politikalarını eleştirmekten kaçınmamıştır. Bu çalışma, Mor ve Ötesi’nin Şirket adlı klibini görsel öğeler, şarkı sözleri ve ses özelliklerine göre değerlendirerek grubun neo-liberalizmi eleştirme biçimini açığa çıkarmayı amaçlamıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Pop müzik, video, siyaset, Türkiye, protesto, çok modelli analiz, özgünlük

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