JOURNAL ARTICLE

Orientalism meets Occidentalism in Tarkan versus the Vikings.

  • Published In: Journal of Scandinavian Cinema, 2023, v. 13, n. 1. P. 7 1 of 3

  • Database: Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Ball, Kimberly 3 of 3

Abstract

The article analyzes *Tarkan Viking kani* (Tarkan versus the Vikings), a 1971 Turkish Yeşilçam film that anachronistically pits Vikings against Huns to allegorize Turkey's complex position between East and West. By portraying Vikings as emblematic of Westernness through both Orientalist and Occidentalist lenses, the film reflects Turkey's historical and ideological tensions amid modernization and national identity formation. The narrative centers on Tarkan, a Hun-Turk hero who mediates between Eastern and Western forces, embodying a national ideal that balances tradition and Westernization, while the film's depiction of Vikings and Chinese characters draws on and critiques common Western stereotypes. This work situates the film within the broader Viking film genre and Turkish cinema, highlighting how popular culture can reveal underlying ideological structures and cross-cultural self-images.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of Scandinavian Cinema. 2023/03, Vol. 13, Issue 1, p7
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Anthropology
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:2042-7891
  • DOI:10.1386/jsca_00084_1
  • Accession Number:171851616
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