PhD defence

The Intertopian Mode in the Depiction of Turkey-originated Migrants in European Cinema

• D. Durak Akser

Date

Thursday 7 September 2023

Time

10:00 - 10:45 hour

Address

Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden

Supervisor(s)

• Prof.dr. I. Smits
• dr. P. de Bruijn

Summary

This study investigates the understudied relationship between utopianism and film with specific attention to the relationship between utopianism and European migrant film in the context of Turkish migrants’ hopes and fears. It proposes a new concept, the intertopian mode, by engaging with the relevant concepts in utopianism and migrant cinema. The intertopian mode is the space between the extremities of the utopianist spectrum, utopia, and dystopia at their most ultimate forms. It aims to answer the question “Can migration-themed films use an everyday utopianist mode and could this mode be described as intertopian?” In this light, this study provides close and socio-politically situated readings of the selected films that serve as case studies to test the presence of intertopian mode. It situates each case study/film in the specific contexts and applies the research questions to demonstrate the patterns. Hence, this study explores how utopian motives, as in the form of intertopian mode, appear in migrant film and it engages with utopianism as a method for representing change, socio-cultural issues, desires, hopes, fears, and values. It lays the foundation for future investigation of utopianism in film.

PhD dissertations

Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.

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