The Political Function of Tales: The Case of Arabian Nights

ÜLPER OKTAR S.

BEYTULHIKME-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY, vol.6, no.2, pp.205-226, 2016 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 6 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Journal Name: BEYTULHIKME-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.205-226
  • Kocaeli University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Tales that cumulate since an individual's childhood mark the social memory. They, as the most important representative of the oral tradition, have a crucial function in constructing the relationship that an individual has with reality. Hence, tales provide an opportunity for a philosophical research. As material for political and philosophical research, tales can be examined not only as means of pedagogy and entertainment for the childhood period but also magical expressions of the possibility of another world. The collection One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights) provides rich content for such analysis. To this aim, this paper will examine the political functions of tales and study the collection One Thousand and One Nights in this framework.