LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL  IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN

Biber Vangölü, Yeliz

LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN

Yeliz BİBER VANGÖLÜ (Atatürk Üniversitesi, Edebiyat Fakültesi, İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı Bölümü, Erzurum, Türkiye)

Milli Folklor Dergisi

2 0

Yıl: 2021 Cilt: 17 Sayı: 131 Sayfa Aralığı: 131 - 140 Metin Dili: İngilizce İndeks Tarihi: 18-08-2022

LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN

Öz:

This essay aims initially to trace back the European carnival celebrations which emerged out only after the mid-twentieth century within the British culture. A cultural phenomenon that has its roots in the festivals of the pre-Christian times, carnival was a series of rituals associated with the arrival of spring at the time. In time it was adopted and appropriated by Christianity in the western world and it thus spread all around Europe as a religious rite. Carnivals opened up a space for unruliness and excess before the period of fasting and abstinence started for Lent. As opposed to the rest of Europe, in Britain carnival could not be established as a tradition, the reason of which remains ambiguous to this day. In this essay, the potential reasons behind this cultural exclusion are laid out and examined with reference to the views and discussions of other scholars. The particular focus of this essay is the possible relations between carnival and the act of masking as masking constitutes one of the most defining aspects of the carnival. As stripping off one’s identity by means of performance is essential to both masks and the carnival, it could be argued that these two omissions in the British culture are somehow related. Besides, it is a fact that there has never been an authentic mask tradition in the history of British theatre. This essay tackles the question: can the lack of carnivals in the cultural history of Britain be connected with the lack of an authentic mask tradition there? In answering this question, examples of masking traditions in theatre from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are discussed particularly with regard to the reception of the audi ences and authorities. As masking practices were banned in the social arenas by authorities, they seem to have disappeared in the culture. The final part of the essay provides information about the state of carnivals in con temporary Britain. The curious incident of carnivals eventually finding a place in the British culture of the twentieth century is explained through developments regarding immigration, racism and multiculturalism.

Anahtar Kelime:

Britanya’nın Kültürel Tarihinde Avrupa Karnavalının Yerinin Saptanması

Öz:

Bu makale öncelikle Britanya kültüründe ancak yirminci yüzyılın ortalarından sonra ortaya çıkan Avrupa karnaval kutlamalarının izini sürmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Kökenleri Hristiyanlık öncesi çağdaki festivallere daya nan kültürel bir olgu olan karnaval o zamanlarda baharın gelişiyle ilişkilendirilen bir dizi ritüelden ibaretti. Zamanla Batı dünyasında Hristiyanlık, karnavalı benimseyip kendine mal etmiş, böylece karnaval tüm Avrupa’ya dini bir tören olarak yayılmıştır. Karnavallar, Büyük Perhiz için oruç ve perhiz dönemi başlamadan önce bir kontrolsüzlük ve aşırılık alanı yaratma görevi görmüşlerdir. Ancak diğer Avrupa ülkelerinin tersine, Britanya’da karnaval bir gelenek olarak tesis edilememiştir ve bunun sebebi günümüze değin belirsiz kalmıştır. Bu makalede, karnavalın kültürün dışarısında bırakılmış olmasının ardındaki potansiyel sebepler ortaya koyulup diğer araştırmacıların görüş ve tartışmaları ışığında incelenmektedir. Makalenin özel olarak odaklandığı nokta karnaval ile maskeleme edimi arasındaki olası ilişkilerdir çünkü maske takma karnavalın en tanımlayıcı özel liklerinden biridir. Bir kimsenin kimliğinden performans yoluyla sıyrılması hem maskelerin hem de karnavalın temelinde yer aldığından Britanya kültüründeki bu iki eksikliğin bir şekilde bağlantılı olduğu tartışılabilir. Bu nun yanı sıra, Britanya tiyatro tarihinde hiçbir zaman otantik bir maske geleneği olmadığı bir gerçektir. Bu makale, Britanya’nın kültürel tarihinde karnavalların olmayışı otantik bir maske geleneğinin eksikliği ile bağ lantılı olabilir mi sorusunu ele almaktadır. Bu soruyu cevaplarken Orta Çağ ve Rönesans’ta tiyatroda maske geleneklerinin örnekleri, özellikle seyirci ve otoritelerin tutumu üzerinden tartışılmaktadır. Zaman içerisinde maske pratikleri toplumsal arenada otoritelerce yasaklandığından kültür içerisinde de kaybolmuş gibi gözük mektedir. Bu makalenin son bölümü günümüz Britanya’sında karnavalların durumu hakkında bilgi vermektedir. Karnavalın sonunda yirminci yüzyıl Britanya kültüründe kendisine yer bulması zamanın göçmenlik, ırkçılık ve çokkültürlülük ile ilgili gelişmeleri çerçevesinde açıklanmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelime:

Belge Türü: Makale Makale Türü: Araştırma Makalesi Erişim Türü: Erişime Açık

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APA	Biber Vangölü Y (2021). LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. , 131 - 140.
Chicago	Biber Vangölü Yeliz LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. (2021): 131 - 140.
MLA	Biber Vangölü Yeliz LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. , 2021, ss.131 - 140.
AMA	Biber Vangölü Y LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. . 2021; 131 - 140.
Vancouver	Biber Vangölü Y LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. . 2021; 131 - 140.
IEEE	Biber Vangölü Y "LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN." , ss.131 - 140, 2021.
ISNAD	Biber Vangölü, Yeliz. "LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN". (2021), 131-140.

APA	Biber Vangölü Y (2021). LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. Milli Folklor Dergisi, 17(131), 131 - 140.
Chicago	Biber Vangölü Yeliz LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. Milli Folklor Dergisi 17, no.131 (2021): 131 - 140.
MLA	Biber Vangölü Yeliz LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. Milli Folklor Dergisi, vol.17, no.131, 2021, ss.131 - 140.
AMA	Biber Vangölü Y LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. Milli Folklor Dergisi. 2021; 17(131): 131 - 140.
Vancouver	Biber Vangölü Y LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN. Milli Folklor Dergisi. 2021; 17(131): 131 - 140.
IEEE	Biber Vangölü Y "LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN." Milli Folklor Dergisi, 17, ss.131 - 140, 2021.
ISNAD	Biber Vangölü, Yeliz. "LOCATING THE EUROPEAN CARNIVAL IN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITAIN". Milli Folklor Dergisi 17/131 (2021), 131-140.