Mesopotamia Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Year 2025 Issue 5(2)

CREATIVE DIALOGUE FRAMING IN CINEMA AND ITS AFFECT ON NARRATIVE: THE EXAMPLE OF THE MOVIE SCHINDLER’S LIST

Fatih ÇALIŞKAN — 2026-07-16

Cinema narrative is a multi-layered narrative form formed by arranging many technical and intellectual elements to serve the director's purpose. When a movie is divided into two parts: dialogue scenes with dialogues and images without any dialogue, there is always the possibility of subordinating the visual language with explanatory dialogues and damaging the cinematic language within the dialogue scenes. In examples where dialogue scenes are taken beyond dialogue and many possibilities of cinema are used, it is possible to find a direction that develops the language of cinema. Steven Spielberg's film Schindler's List, released in 1993, is thought to contain in-depth narration and creative dialogue scenes that develop the narrative. In this context, the necessity of examining the film constitutes the main problem of the study. The main purpose of the study is to reveal whether a creative method was followed in the dialogue scenes of the movie Schindler's List by going beyond the ordinary narration and, if so, how this contributed to the narrative. It was seen that Schindler's List constitutes an example of creative directing that goes beyond classical dialogue staging through many elements such as camera movements, actor movements, lighting, framing.

REFLECTIONS OF THE EARTHQUAKES CENTERED IN KAHRAMANMARAS ON TURKISH AND GERMAN MEDIA

Fatma KARAMAN — 2026-07-16

Disasters are events that occur naturally or through human-induced causes and profoundly affect people's lives. Indeed, on February 6, 2023, large-scale earthquakes struck eleven provinces, with Pazarcık being the center. Thousands of people lost their lives and billions of lira in property damage were caused by the 7.4 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes. While the occurrence of disasters triggers public reactions, how such events are portrayed by the media is of great importance. The Kahramanmaraş earthquake resonated widely in both Turkish and German media. Both media outlets reported the earthquake's effects, including loss of life, injuries, damage, and rescue efforts. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the content of Turkish and German media coverage of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake and compare how the earthquake's effects were reflected in the media in both countries. To achieve this goal, earthquake content was examined from various Turkish and German newspapers. The study found that German media provided more information about the causes of the earthquake and included expert opinions, while Turkish media highlighted the aftermath of the earthquake more. A common thread between Turkish and German media is their similar reporting on the severity and cost of the earthquake. However, Turkish media provided more detailed coverage of the earthquake's effects, while German media focused more on its impact on the Turkish economy.

THE DİALECTİC OF WİLL AND SİMULATİON İN THE FİLM “NİNE DAYS”: A READİNG OF SCHOPENHAUER AND BAUDRİLLARD

Ramazan GÜNDOĞAN — 2026-07-16

This study aims to analyze the film Nine Days (2021) through the lens of Arthur Schopenhauer's ontological pessimism based on “will” and “pain” and Jean Baudrillard's concepts of ‘simulacrum’ and “simulation.” The research discusses how the blind impulse at the core of life is represented in the context of Schopenhauer's “will to live” and how this existence is transformed into a Baudrillardian “hyperreal” experience. In this regard, the fundamental problem is that modern humans no longer experience existence directly, but through representations and screens; thus, life is trapped in both a metaphysical and a simulacral plane. The study is significant in that it brings together two different philosophical paradigms—Schopenhauer's 19th-century metaphysics and Baudrillard's 20th-century postmodern critique—in a contemporary film, demonstrating cinema's power to concretize philosophical thought. The research is based on a qualitative design and was conducted using hermeneutic film analysis methods. The findings reveal that the film Nine Days presents an allegory of existence that simultaneously represents both the “pain of will” and the “simulation of reality.” Ultimately, the film combines Schopenhauer's quest for “liberation from suffering” with Baudrillard's critique of the “loss of reality.” In this context, Nine Days is evaluated as an original cinematic text of thought that reveals the contemporary individual's ontological and epistemological impasse and questions the simulacral nature of modern existence.

A STUDY ON THE SELF-EFFICACY PERCEPTIONS OF REFUGEE STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL IN TÜRKIYE ON TURKISH SPEAKING SKILLS

Mehmet KARDOĞAN — 2026-07-16

In this study, it is aimed to determine the self-efficacy perceptions of Turkish speaking skills of refugee students studying at secondary school level in Türkiye according to various variables. For this purpose, descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research approaches, was used in the study. The participants of the study consisted of a total of 200 refugee students studying at Mezitli Imam Hatip Secondary School in Mezitli district of Mersin province in the 2023-2024 academic year. The data of the study were collected with the "Self-Efficacy Scale for Bilingual Students' Speaking Skills in Turkish Lesson" developed by İşçi (2019) and the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher. Descriptive statistical techniques and t-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for variables with more than two groups were used to analyze the collected data. At the end of the study, it was determined that refugee students' self-efficacy perceptions of Turkish speaking skills were at a moderate level. In addition, it was determined that students' self-efficacy perceptions of Turkish speaking skills were significant according to gender, mother tongue, place of birth, length of stay in Türkiye and reason for being in Türkiye, but did not show a statistically significant difference according to age variable. Based on these results, suggestions were made to those concerned.

ETHICAL GOVERNANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLİGENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE DOCUMENT ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL POLICIES AND A COMMON FRAMEWORK OF PRINCIPLES FOR TÜRKİYE

Gurbet ÇOBANMuhammet KOÇAK — 2026-07-16

This study aims to examine the ethical governance principles regarding the use of artificial intelligence in higher education and to propose a common framework for Türkiye. The study addresses the literature gap in the systematic analysis of AI policies at the institutional document level. Utilizing the qualitative method of descriptive document analysis, the research examined publicly accessible policy documents from 50 international universities (QS 2025) and 25 national universities (URAP 2025). The analysis referenced global normative frameworks (EU AI Act, YÖK Ethical Guide). Findings show that transparency (%92) and ethical use (%86) are the most dominant themes in international university policies, while accountability (%56) and human-centeredness (\%42) remain limited. A key observation is that while international principles are structured at the institutional level, policies in Turkish universities are often developed at the unit level, indicating a lack of a unified institutional framework. As a result of the analysis, an ethical governance framework, structured across institutional, instructional, and individual levels, is proposed for Türkiye, aligned with international normative principles. The study is based solely on publicly available policy documents.

LEXICAL PRAGMATICS IN THE PLAY 'SNAKE IN THE TEMPLE' BY GHOLAM-HUSSEIN SA'EDI

Anwar Abbas Majeed HaiderZahra Parsapoor ,Khairiya Damak Qasim — 2026-07-16

Language is one of the important and effective tools. Language can fulfill its influential mission when it carries thought, reflection, and emotion. One of the significant aspects of language is vocabulary. Language users employ words for various motivations and based on different needs, including expressing their thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. To achieve a more precise understanding of speech and text, both users and creators of works must consider the use of vocabulary within the context and linguistic framework of their discourse and writing. This leads to a conscious perception and an accurate understanding that aligns closely with the intended meaning of users and creators. Pragmatics does not have a uniform definition for everyone dealing with it. Some theorists consider it the study of language use, while others view it as the study of communication. Another group defines pragmatics as an approach to studying language based on its communicative function—the relationship between linguistic forms and their usage. This includes examining aspects such as the speaker's intention, the extent of the message conveyed, contextual meaning, and the expression of relative distance.

Undoubtedly, Sa'edi's approach to expressing and describing reality is one of the key factors shaping his unique style. He can be considered a pioneer of a particular type of realism. This study examines and analyzes the vocabulary used in the play "The Serpent in the Temple" by Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi.

GERMAN NEWS INPUT IN EASY LANGUAGE: APPLICATION POSSIBILITIES IN ELEMENTARY DAF INSTRUCTION

Nihan DEMİRYAY — 2026-07-16

This study examines the didactic potential of simplified German news texts for teaching German as a foreign language (DaF). Drawing on current approaches in foreign language pedagogy, cultural learning, comprehensibility research, and task-based instruction, it analyzes how news written in Easy Language can provide A1–A2 learners with an accessible yet authentic entry point into socially relevant topics. The corpus consists of three texts from the platform Nachrichtenleicht, whose lexical, syntactic, and cohesive features are described using a qualitative-descriptive framework. With particular attention to comprehensibility criteria, cultural references, and task-based learning objectives, one text is modeled didactically to illustrate potential applications in the classroom. The findings demonstrate that simplified news texts offer both cognitive support and cultural orientation, making them effective, low-threshold, and motivating learning resources for beginners in DaF instruction. Furthermore, the exemplary didactic design shows how such texts can be integrated into task-based learning sequences to promote reading comprehension, reflection, and initial communicative action.

HISTORICAL AND LITERARY CARTOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE CASE OF ELISABETH KUSIAN (DER FALL ELISABETH KUSIAN) IN REINHARD KLEIST'S GRAPHIC NOVEL

Kadir ALBAYRAK — 2026-07-16

Reinhard Kleist's graphic novel „Berliner Mythen“ depicts events that took place in post-war Berlin. This study focuses on the section „Der Fall Elisabeth Kusian“ (The Case of Elisabeth Kusian). This section tells the story of Elisabeth Kusian, who murdered a man and a woman in the 1950s and left their body parts in various locations, particularly in East Berlin. Because this section is based on a true story, it is considered a literary geography that transcends the relationship between fiction and reality. It is based on real locations and includes maps of where the body parts were found. In this respect, Kleist's graphic novel also makes clear that literary works, as emphasized in cultural literary studies, are cultural documents.

LEXICOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE BIOGRAPHICALLY INFLUENCED NAMING PATTERN IN HERTA MÜLLER'S NOBEL LECTURE

Kadir ALBAYRAKÖzge Sinem İMRAĞ — 2026-07-16

Literature and language mutually influence each other. Literature gives rise to new modes of expression and stylistic devices, and the linguistic structure of a literary text contributes to its aesthetic dimensions. These two concepts are not only mutually influential but also shaped by life experiences. One of the best examples of this can be found in the work of the Nobel Prize-winning Romanian-German writer Herta Müller. Her experiences related to her heritage influence both the themes of her works and her language. She mentions this effect in her Nobel lecture, “Every word knows something about the vicious circle". The aim of this paper is to analyze the naming pattern in this lecture from a lexicological perspective. With this aim, the onomasiological and semasiological conceptualizations of words she emphasized in the lecture are examined. This reveals that for Müller, the words “Taschentuch”, “Taschentuchschublade” and “Batista” have a semasiological conceptualization, while the words “colaborez”, “Treppenwangen”, “Treppenaugen”, “Trän”, “Worthunger”, “Milchdistel”, “Stachelrippe” and “Nadelhals” have an onomasiological conceptualization.

HİLMİ OSMAN-FERİD: A FRANCOPHONE TURK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PAUL GERALDY'S POETRY

DURAN İÇEL , , , , , — 2026-07-16

This study aims text-based analyses of how the theme of “love” was created in two very similar poetic works. A comparative method was used to analyze the texts in terms of form and content, and the level of similarity/influence was determined. The motivation of this study is that the poetry collection titled Notre Cœur, written in French by Hilmi Osman-Ferid, a little-known Francophone Turkish poet, and published in the 1920s, was considered as a kind of imitation of the poetry collection Toi et Moi (1912) by Paul Géraldy, the 20th-century French poet. It is possible to find the themes and lyrical expressions of love in Hilmi Osman-Ferid's verses, written in almost the same form and style as those in poetry collection written in a free verse style of Paul Géraldy, who gained fame at the beginning of the century but was not later included among the famous contemporary French poets. Many Turkish writers and poets wrote under the influence of Western literature in the first half of the 20th century; and the influence could sometimes be inspiration, sometimes imitation, and beyond that, a kind of pastiche. In literature, “imitation” has been accepted since Aristotle as using what already exists is not condemned according to the classical understanding. However, those who have not been able to create their own style based on an established model have always remained in the shadow of the originals and have not been able to be original.

FROM ETHNOCENTRISM TO DECONSTRUCTION: THE DISSOLUTION OF IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS

Sevgi KILINÇ — 2026-07-16
This article examines how the concepts of identity, belonging, and otherness are deconstructed within a framework in contemporary ceramic art, by questioning the way in which the ethnocentric perspective plays a constitutive role in art production. While ethnocentrism defines cultural identity as a fixed, homogeneous, and hierarchical structure, deconstruction offers a critical framework for reflection that reveals the internal contradictions, breaking points, and deferred meanings of this construct. In this context, ceramics is considered not only an aesthetic production space but also a privileged space of expression that materially carries historical, cultural, and bodily memory. This study offers a multi-layered analysis through the ceramic practices of Kukuli Velarde, Ah Xian, Magdalene Odundo, and Roberto Lugo. Velarde critiques ethnocentric historiography by subverting colonial body representations through parody and deformation, making visible the fragmented and conflicting nature of post-colonial identity. Ah Xian combines traditional Chinese porcelain aesthetics with Western body representations, emphasizing that cultural identity cannot be defined solely through origins. Odundo invites us to rethink cultural memory as an intuitive field of experience by relating formal references of African origin to modernist abstraction. Roberto Lugo, on the other hand, transforms ceramics into a political discourse, questioning issues of class, race, and identity within the context of Western-centric aesthetic norms. In conclusion, the article reveals that in contemporary ceramic art, identity is treated not as a holistic and essentialist structure, but rather as a hybrid and fragile process constantly reconstructed within historical and political negotiations.

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN VIRGINIA WOOLF’S NOVEL “MRS. DALLOWAY” AND JACK KEROUAC’S NOVEL “ON THE ROAD”: A COMPERATIVE ANALYSIS

Ali Dinçer YILDIZSüleyman BAŞARAN — 2026-07-16

Abstract
Stream of consciousness is a demanding narrative technique masterfully employed by the British novelist Virginia Woolf and the American novelist Jack Kerouac. By loosening conventional limits of language and plot, this technique presents the unfiltered flow of a character’s mental processes, enabling readers to witness emotions and thoughts almost in “real time.” The aim of this study is to clarify the main features of stream of consciousness writing and to examine, through a comparative approach, how Woolf and Kerouac use this technique, what kind of impact they seek to create on readers, and in which ways their methods converge or diverge. For this purpose, selected passages from Mrs. Dalloway and On the Road are analysed with special focus on spontaneity, inner monologue, associative transitions and the fragmentation of temporal order. The findings indicate that both authors represent the subconscious worlds of their characters in rich detail and display remarkably similar stylistic tendencies, while also differing in certain metaphorical choices and rhythmic patterns.

A STUDY ON THE GENDER-BASED EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN BEEKEEPERS IN TURKIYE

Okan ÖZGÜLBALCI AYDOĞAN ,Özlem ABUŞOĞLU ,İvgin TUNCA — 2026-07-16
This study, conducted to identify the professional barriers faced by women beekeepers and the challenges they encounter in this context, holds significance in making women’s labor visible within the beekeeping profession and drawing attention to issues of gender inequality. The research is original in that studies focusing on women beekeepers in Türkiye remain limited, and this study uniquely approaches the experiences of women beekeepers through their own narratives. By employing a descriptive analysis method, the study examines the positions and experiences of women in the beekeeping sector, thereby contributing new insights to the existing literature and providing original field data on the visibility of women’s labor. The research was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 participants selected by simple random sampling from women beekeepers registered with the Turkish Beekeepers’ Central Union (TAB). The findings reveal that women beekeepers contend not only with environmental and physical challenges but also with social prejudices and the invisibility stemming from inadequate media representation.

A STRUGGLE BEYOND WAR: THE EFFECT OF THE LOSS OF STATUS OF SYRİAN MALE REFUGEES ON FAMİLY DYNAMİCS

Adem DEMİRYücel KARADAŞ — 2026-07-16
Status is a key component of social structure, shaping an individual’s position and perceived value within a society. It is largely context-bound, emerging from the cultural and social norms of the originating society. However, when individuals are forcibly displaced—such as in the case of refugees—their previously held status often loses its meaning in the host society, making continuity difficult. This disruption affects not only their social identity but also their familial roles. Particularly among refugee fathers, loss of employment or working in positions far below their qualifications leads to diminished authority and altered family dynamics. Such shifts may result in instability within the household, loss of cohesion, or even family breakdown. These changes carry the potential for broader individual and societal challenges, including psychological distress and role confusion. This study focuses on Syrian male refugees under temporary protection in Turkey, investigating how status loss influences their family relationships. It aims to explore participants’ levels of satisfaction in their social and professional lives, shifts in familial roles, and the coping strategies they employ in the face of such transformations.

ON GOETHE'S POEM ‘THE PIED PIPER’ AS A FOLK SONG

Ali Osman ÖZTÜRK — 2026-07-16
The Pied Piper legend tells the mysterious story of the disappearance of children in the town of Hameln. Lutz Röhrich highlights how this legend has gradually taken on fairy-tale elements, especially through Goethe’s poetic adaptation. In Goethe’s version, the Pied Piper is not only an animal and child catcher but also a wandering musician who charms women—a significant shift in the literary development of the legend. The origins of the legend are rooted in historical events, but over time, it has been shaped into a cautionary tale. The disappearance of children has been interpreted in various ways, including theories of migration to the East, dancing mania, and children's crusades. The unresolved nature of the story adds to its mystique. Röhrich examines how fairy-tale motifs appear in the legend: enchanted music, tragic loss, moral lessons for both parents and children. Ultimately, the Pied Piper story remains a multifaceted narrative, blending history and literature