An Orientalist Analysis of Orhan Pamuk’s Snow and Cevdet Bey and His Sons

Abstract

The present study analyses the traces of Orientalism in Orhan Pamuk’s two novels Snow and Cevdet Bey and His Sons. As a theoretical framework, Orientalism focuses on the distinction between “the self” and “the other” attributing to the literary studies applied by Western scholars to the Eastern countries for the purpose of establishing dominance. “The self” constantly stigmatizes and marginalizes “the other” as innately different. This process strictly draws on West and East boundaries and becomes the starting point of a problematic relationship between the two sides. Since ancient times, it has preserved its existence as a mode of thinking of the West on Eastern civilizations. In this context, the Orientalist details that Orhan Pamuk reflects on his both novels are the main subjects of this work. The study examines traces of Orientalist discourse in Pamuk’s selected novels and tries to bring an approach to the author’s portrayal of his own society. In the light of the pioneering theorists, like Said, Bhabha, and Fanon, the arguments on selected texts are grounded on the themes such as the East-West binaries, cultural identity, and conflicts. Based on the East-West contrasts identified, the study reveals what kind of an Orientalization process Türkiye went through both within itself and against the Western civilization.