Memorialisation of the Turkish War of Independence: Monuments, narratives and commemoration at the battlegrounds of Dumlupınar

Abstract

This article examines the memorialisation of the Battle of Dumlupınar (30 August 1922) in Kütahya, Turkey. Through an investigation of landmarks, literature and oral history, we explore the post-war imaginings and settings of this battle. We observe three major practices of war memorialisation in the battlegrounds of Dumlupınar: state, public and local. State and public practices are largely intertwined and embody themselves in the form of highly visible landmarks and regulated acts of commemoration. The local practices are subtler and represent counter narratives of war entangled with the conflict landscape, myths, and local politics. By looking into this dichotomy, this article scrutinises the present role of battlegrounds in the memorialisation of the Battle of Dumlupınar.