The “glitch” of Rabia monuments

A semiotic analysis of July 15 monuments in Turkey

Bibliographic Data

ID6094019
AuthorsErdem Üngür (0000-0002-8863-2066, Gebze Technical University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume69
Pages52-73
Publication date2023-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Perspectives on Turkey (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0896-6346 • E-ISSN: 1305-3299
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/npt.2023.24
OpenAlexW4386420518
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited33

After the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the Turkish state started to produce a new official history of the event as a narrative of popular resistance against a military coup for the sake of democracy. This narrative with a religious aura was supported by “democracy watch” meetings and new commemoration days, museums, and monuments across Turkey. It was based on four concepts, symbolized by theRabiasign: one nation, one homeland, one flag, and one state. However, the use of the Rabia sign has fallen from grace recently, creating a critical gap or “glitch” in the mnemonic infrastructure. This paper offers a visual categorization of July 15 monuments across Turkey and positions them in the historiography of Turkish national monuments. Finally, Rabia monuments are analyzed as a case study to show part of the complex (trans)national narratives of the “New Turkey

Ancient history · Art · Democracy · Geography · Homeland · Literature · Narrative · Political science · Politics · Sign (mathematics · State (computer science · History · Law · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Public Spaces through Art · Turkey's Politics and Society

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