The Turkish Reader’s Reception of Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”
Keywords:
Toni Morrison, Recitatif, Turkish literature reception, racial identity, cultural context, literary analysisAbstract
This article analyzes the reception of Toni Morrison’s short story "Recitatif" among Turkish readers, exploring how cultural backgrounds influence interpretations of racial identities. The paper argues that Morrison’s text, described as a "writerly" text by Roland Barthes, invites readers to compare their experiences with their own cultural contexts. Focusing on a case study from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, the article demonstrates how students from various regions of Turkey interpreted the racial identities of the protagonists Twyla and Roberta. The methodology involved classroom discussions and a questionnaire completed by 80 undergraduate learners. Key findings reveal that most readers did not reach definitive conclusions about the characters' skin colors, highlighting the fluidity of racial identity. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to understanding how literary texts can transcend cultural boundaries and prompt critical reflection on the concept of "the Other."(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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