Abstract
The purpose of this study is to trace the relationship between male, masculinity, and violence in Turkish films after 2000. For this purpose, action, adventure, political, and drama films featuring Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, the pioneering anti-hero of male violence in popular Turkish films between 2000-2010 were focused. Thus, the sample of the study was composed of Deli Yürek: Bumerang Cehennemi (2001), Yazı Tura (2004), Kabadayı (2007), and Ejder Kapanı (2010) films. In all of these films Yusuf, Cevher, Devran, and Celal acted by İmirzalıoğlu use intense violence in the name of honor, power, and virility. Starting from such observation, the study has endeavored to make an interpretation on appearance of the relationship among man, masculinity, and violence based on the type, orientation, perspective and purpose of violence in the films, included the sample since the 2000s. In pursuit of such meaning first, it will be useful to mention the relationship among violence, man, and masculinity.
TopViolence, Man, And Masculinity
In the Classical Anglo-Saxon sense, violence is defined as ‘causing physical injury of somebody’ (Riches, 1989: 14; Rougier, 1989: 71). It can be said that the concept has passed from Arabic to Turkish in the meanings of ‘toughness’, ‘brute force’, and, ‘rude behavior’. Today, its lexical meaning is ‘using brute force, rude behavior, and, toughness towards those with opposite attitude or opinion’ (Ünsal, 1996: 29).
Violence should not only be associated with physical aggression or power. As stressed by Marvin (1989: 153), violence is present in bullfighting; but the matadors do not appear in an aggressive mood against bulls. Matador uses violence in a very comfortable manner for entertainment purposes. In other words, there is no need for pure aggression in the emergence of violence; aesthetic and cold-blooded behaviors may also include violence. Again, violence does not need to be physical; it can be emotional or verbal. Thus, it is more meaningful to define violence as follows: Violence is the observed activity of the organism from the outside and requires the physical, psychological or social damage of the target.