Explore, Display, and Civilize: Colonialism in Documentary Film

Year 2014, , 9 - 33, 25.03.2019

Özgür Adadağ

https://doi.org/10.32001/sinecine.540753

Abstract

The period of total commitment to colonialism coincides with the birth of cinema, and each contributed to the other. This study scrutinizes the use of film for “colonial education,” from early cinema until the Second World War. This form of education, while aiming to popularize the idea of colonialism in the homeland by stimulating interest in the colonies, aimed at the same time to present the homeland to the native population in the colonies, displaying its power, life style, and capacity to civilize. The study includes examples of newsreels that convey information about colonial wars, travelogues shot during expeditions organized by automotive companies, and documentaries intended to reveal the wonders of the colonies. Such films were used to communicate the concept of homo imperialis in the homeland and to win the hearts of natives in the colonies.

Keywords

Colonialisms, empire, didactic cinema, colonial education, “civilizing”, travel to the colonies

SÖMÜRGELERİ TANIYIN, TANITIN, MEDENİLEŞTİRİN: BELGESEL FİLMLERDE SÖMÜRGECİLİK

Abstract

Sömürgeciliğinin tüm çarklarıyla işlemesi sinemanın doğuşu ile aynı dönemdedir ve ikisinin de bir diğerine katkısı olmuştur. Bu çalışmada ilk döneminden itibaren 2. Dünya Savaşı’na kadar olan dönemde sinemanın “sömürge eğitimi” için kullanımı incelenmiştir. Söz konusu eğitim, bir yandan sömürgelere olan ilgiyi besleyerek sömürgecilik fikrinin metropolde popülerleşmesini, diğer yandan sömürgelerde yerlilere metropolü tanıtmayı, onları metropolün gücü ve yaşam tarzıyla tanıştırmayı ve sömürgeleri “medenileştirmeyi” amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada, sömürge savaşlarından bilgi aktaran haber filmleri, otomobil şirketlerinin sömürge topraklarına düzenlediği seferlerde çekilen seyahat filmleri, sömürgeleri tanıtmak amacıyla yapılan belgesel filmler gibi farklı örneklerden hareket edilerek sinemanın metropolde “homo emperialis”i biçimlendirmek, sömürgelerde ise yerlilerin kalbini kazanmak için kullanımı incelenmiştir.

Keywords

Sömürgecilik, imparatorluk, eğitici sinema, sömürge eğitimi, “mede- nileştirmek”, sömürgelere seyahat

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