Call For Papers

CALL FOR PAPERS
KEMAL TAHİR ÇALIŞMALARI
Special Issue: Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi

Rereading Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi: History, Society, and Literature

Kemal Tahir Çalışmaları is devoting one of its special issues to Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi, the novel by Kemal Tahir published after his death.

In Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi, Kemal Tahir traces the historical period stretching from the reign of Abdülhamid II to the closing phase of the National Struggle through the life of Mahir Efendi and his family. The world of the novel reaches from Yıldız Palace to the Imperial Arsenal (Tersane-i Âmire), from the neighbourhoods of Istanbul to the Anatolian fronts. Within this broad frame, it explores themes such as property, labour, family, migration, war, military service, political thought, and social transformation.

Centring on Mahir Efendi’s life as it moves from carpentry to a military officer’s career, the novel makes the changes of the late Ottoman period visible at the level of everyday life. The desire to own a home, the culture of craftsmanship, court circles, the experience of war, and the founding of a new political order form the novel’s principal fields of discussion.

The special issue aims to bring together original studies that examine Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi from a variety of fields, including literature, history, sociology, military sociology, military history, political thought, labour history, and urban studies. Alongside articles that read the novel in the light of particular perspectives and theories, comparative and interdisciplinary studies will also be considered.

Suggested research topics are listed below:

Literature, Narrative, and Historical Representation

The novel’s narrator, point of view, and temporal flow
The structural elements of the novel
The use of historical events and figures within fiction
Narratorial irony, humour, dialogue, and social language
The biographical and autobiographical dimensions of the novel
The place of Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi within Kemal Tahir’s body of fiction
A comparison of the novel with Kemal Tahir’s other works
The place of Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi within literary history

Property, Home, Labour, and Social Class

The meaning of the images of the “home” and the “fortress” in the novel
The desire for homeownership, social security, and status
Escheated property (mahlûl), title deeds, rent, debt, and interest relations
Fire, homelessness, and the fragility of property
Debates on private property, equality, and Bolshevism
Carpentry, manual labour, and craft ethics
Master, journeyman, and apprentice relations
The Imperial Arsenal (Tersane-i Âmire), the Tavşan Store, and the Yıldız Palace carpentry workshop
Abdülhamid II’s carpentry activities

The Court, the Family, and Society

The court and everyday life during the reign of Abdülhamid II
The historical figure of Naile Sultan and her representation in the novel
The transformation of the institution of concubinage
Marriage, motherhood, and authority within the family
Women’s relationship to property and economic security
Paternal authority and the raising of children
Headship of the family and social responsibility

Migration, the City, and Everyday Life

The place of Şebinkarahisar and the village of Alişar in the novel, and migrant labour
Migration from Anatolia to Istanbul and networks of fellow-townsmen (hemşehrilik)
The transition from peasantry to craftsmanship and to urban life
Kasımpaşa, the Golden Horn (Haliç), Beyoğlu, and the neighbourhoods of Istanbul
Housing, rent, neighbourhood culture, and social solidarity
The fires of Istanbul and their effects on city and family life
The comparative representation of Istanbul, Ankara, and Anatolia

War, the Army, and Military Change

Everyday life in Istanbul and Anatolia during the First World War
The war economy, scarcity, poverty, and social disintegration
Relations between the front and the home front
Military hospitals, wounding, illness, and discharge
Deserters, banditry, and problems of public order
Mahir Efendi’s transition from craftsmanship to a military officer’s career
Reserve officership, military identity, and the understanding of the profession
Officer–enlisted relations and military hierarchy
Command, obedience, responsibility, and military ethics
The transition from the Kuvâ-yi Milliye to a regular army
Çerkez Ethem, the Kuvâ-yi Seyyare, and unity of command

Political Thought and the National Struggle

The effects of the 1917 Revolution on Ottoman and Turkish political life
Debates on Bolshevism and socialism in Istanbul and Ankara
The Green Army Society (Yeşil Ordu Cemiyeti) and its representation in the novel
The Ankara Government’s relations with Soviet Russia
The novel’s account of the killing of Mustafa Suphi and his comrades
A comparison of the Mustafa Suphi Affair with other texts in Turkish literature

These headings are suggestions. Studies that approach the novel with different research questions, theoretical frameworks, and methods will also be considered within the scope of the special issue.

Articles focusing on historical figures, institutions, or events should not use the novel merely as a source that conveys historical information; instead, they should relate their subject directly to Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi. Studies are expected to explain the relationship between literary representation, historical context, and Kemal Tahir’s social interpretation.

Submitted articles should rest on a clear research question, engage with the relevant literature, explain their method, and offer an original assessment. Articles addressing themes similar to those of previously published studies on Bir Mülkiyet Kalesi are expected to develop a new research question, body of sources, method, or theoretical approach.

Original research articles in Turkish and English will be accepted. Articles must be prepared in accordance with the writing guidelines of Kemal Tahir Çalışmaları and submitted through the online submission system. Studies that pass the preliminary review will be evaluated through a double-blind peer review process.

Special Issue Timeline

Article submission deadline: 11 October 2026
Planned publication date: 1 January 2027