Cinematographic Expressions of Diasporic Experience: Decades of Turkish-German Cinema

Abstract

This chapter presents an analytical account of Turkish diasporic cinema, particularly in Germany for Turkish-German diasporic cinema constitutes one of the most prominent examples. Foregrounding ethnic constituency, the analysis traces how differing perceptions and recollections of dislocation, migration, and the overall diasporic experience have shaped the films of different generations. At the heart of the discussion are questions such as the following: What are the ways the films intersect, shape, contradict, and/or enhance received ideas about migration, diasporic experience, and Turkish/German as well as multiplied ethnic and cultural identities (Kurdish-German, Kurdish-Turkish, Muslim German, Shiite Kurdish, and so on)?; How are contested issues such as gender, sexuality, queer positionalities, diasporic subjectivity, collective memory, and integration addressed in the films?; What does the range of filmmaking styles and modes, genres, formalistic structures, cinematic narratives, and aesthetics tell us about this particular cinema?. © 2024 Taylor & Francis.