Political Ideologies in Yeşim Ustaoğlu’s Films: Nationalism and Feminism

This study analyzes the ideological content in the films of Yeşim Ustaoğlu, one of the few female directors in Turkish cinema. The main conflicts of the director’s five films are analyzed and the ideological concepts (nation and gender) that constitute these conflicts are revealed. These concepts and the political ideologies associated with them (nationalism and feminism) are explained, and based on these explanations, the narratives of the films are analyzed through qualitative narrative analysis. Narratives that support feminism and criticize nationalism are found. In all the director’s films, there are narratives that coincide with the criticisms brought forth by feminism. Lastly, there is an ideological consistency in the films in terms of criticizing all kinds of inequality.