National Myths and Gallipoli

Abstract

In this chapter, I extend the cultural analysis in the previous chapter to show how myths about Gallipoli were fundamental in constructing Australian, New Zealand and Turkish nationhood. I use the work of semiotician and cultural critic Roland Barthes to deconstruct the ubiquitous myths of national exceptionalism that surround Gallipoli. Turks call the war Canakkale Savaslari (Battle of Canakkale) and use the term “Spirit of Canakkale” to proclaim their unity, courage and determination to overcome adversity. I explain why Turkish connections with Gallipoli developed unevenly over a protracted period and are now being animated by tumultuous political, military and religious events. By contrast, Australians and New Zealanders quickly engaged with Gallipoli, though this link was not as spontaneous as is often presumed. In Australia and New Zealand, Gallipoli formed the basis of a national myth that became known as “Anzac Spirit”, the “Anzac Legend” or plain “Anzac”. This myth had a pre-eminent standing in Australia and New Zealand until it started to decline after World War II, and by the 1960s it seemed destined to become an anachronism.