Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam

The term modernization, which is used to refer to social, cultural, economic, and technological change and development in the context of the progressive experience of the west, brings along certain issues when examining the modernization process of non-western societies. Thus, it cannot adequately e...

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Main Author: Şeyma Karaca Küçük
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Istanbul University Press 2023-12-01
Series:Türkiyat Mecmuası
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Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/C87B0DF01AA547699C355E9040A5938F
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author Şeyma Karaca Küçük
author_facet Şeyma Karaca Küçük
author_sort Şeyma Karaca Küçük
collection DOAJ
description The term modernization, which is used to refer to social, cultural, economic, and technological change and development in the context of the progressive experience of the west, brings along certain issues when examining the modernization process of non-western societies. Thus, it cannot adequately explain this experience. In fact, the modernization experienced by these societies has introduced an environment of cultural duality and crisis. In this regard, Japan and Turkey share similarities. Japanese and Turkish societies, which underwent the modernization process under the influence of the west and were described as non-western environments, were exposed to mental confusion and dilemma between traditional and western elements in an environment in which the west was idealized. This crisis can be observed in a short story by Japanese writer Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) entitled “Patriotism” (1961) and a novel by H.Nihal Atsız (1905–1975) entitled Ruh Adam (1972). In both works, when pursued alongside the policy of westernization, modernization has caused a chaotic environment with changing political, social, and cultural structures, which ultimately resulted in opposition to westernization. Mishima and Atsız also react to this change through their nationalist identities and reflect on these reactions through the characters they fictionalized. In this sense, the anti-westernization oppositions of the characters in these works are situated in a crisis environment that could even lead them to suicide. This study aims to compare how Yukio Mishima in “Patriotism” and H.Nihal Atsız in Ruh Adam depict the influence of modernization/ westernization on the characters and how the authors reflect their nationalist identities regarding the fact that a relationship exists between the personal lives of the writers and their works. Thus, it seeks to discuss the crisis environment experienced in the modernization of Japanese and Turkish societies, which are frequently referred to as non-western societies.
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spelling doaj-art-630215fb2a1745fa85cda00faceb1f662025-08-20T03:53:01ZengIstanbul University PressTürkiyat Mecmuası2651-31882023-12-0133281583810.26650/iuturkiyat.1300529123456Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh AdamŞeyma Karaca Küçük0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0134-7001Hitit Üniversitesi, Çorum, TurkiyeThe term modernization, which is used to refer to social, cultural, economic, and technological change and development in the context of the progressive experience of the west, brings along certain issues when examining the modernization process of non-western societies. Thus, it cannot adequately explain this experience. In fact, the modernization experienced by these societies has introduced an environment of cultural duality and crisis. In this regard, Japan and Turkey share similarities. Japanese and Turkish societies, which underwent the modernization process under the influence of the west and were described as non-western environments, were exposed to mental confusion and dilemma between traditional and western elements in an environment in which the west was idealized. This crisis can be observed in a short story by Japanese writer Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) entitled “Patriotism” (1961) and a novel by H.Nihal Atsız (1905–1975) entitled Ruh Adam (1972). In both works, when pursued alongside the policy of westernization, modernization has caused a chaotic environment with changing political, social, and cultural structures, which ultimately resulted in opposition to westernization. Mishima and Atsız also react to this change through their nationalist identities and reflect on these reactions through the characters they fictionalized. In this sense, the anti-westernization oppositions of the characters in these works are situated in a crisis environment that could even lead them to suicide. This study aims to compare how Yukio Mishima in “Patriotism” and H.Nihal Atsız in Ruh Adam depict the influence of modernization/ westernization on the characters and how the authors reflect their nationalist identities regarding the fact that a relationship exists between the personal lives of the writers and their works. Thus, it seeks to discuss the crisis environment experienced in the modernization of Japanese and Turkish societies, which are frequently referred to as non-western societies.https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/C87B0DF01AA547699C355E9040A5938Fyukio mishimah.nihal atsız“patriotism”ruh adammodernizationwesternization
spellingShingle Şeyma Karaca Küçük
Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
Türkiyat Mecmuası
yukio mishima
h.nihal atsız
“patriotism”
ruh adam
modernization
westernization
title Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
title_full Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
title_fullStr Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
title_full_unstemmed Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
title_short Westernization Crisis in Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism” and H. Nihal Atsız’s Ruh Adam
title_sort westernization crisis in yukio mishima s patriotism and h nihal atsiz s ruh adam
topic yukio mishima
h.nihal atsız
“patriotism”
ruh adam
modernization
westernization
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/C87B0DF01AA547699C355E9040A5938F
work_keys_str_mv AT seymakaracakucuk westernizationcrisisinyukiomishimaspatriotismandhnihalatsızsruhadam