Here is the second part of “unboxing”; Milli İstirahat and more…

After a long hiatus, here is the second post in my unboxing series. Now that we are back in İstanbul, I can start looking around the boxes with a touch of nostalgia.

2006-2008 Milli İstirahat

I have spent many evenings in coffeehouses playing cards until the pandemic! I guess until 2013, I spent more time while my close friends were all settled in İstanbul. At that time, we decided to experiment with a fanzine called “Milli İstirahat” [National Rest, a wordplay reminding National Intelligence]. I had written a few stories and essays for our fanzine. In fact, I loved writing stories. If they let me, I would probably continue this fanzine to this day, but petty jealousies among my friends prevented that. Still, it is a good moment in our lives.

1994-1998

Here is an issue from the legendary news magazine Nokta from the late 1980s (in the middle). After I graduated from primary school, my father decided that it was to end reading and collecting magazines for children and I should read stuff like Nokta. He could be partially true, but I still feel sorry that my parents threw out a huge collection of children’s magazines I had collected. And Nokta was a bit more advanced for me.

Nokta magazine was launched on March 1, 1982, by Ercan Arıklı, initially under the name “Nokta ve İnsanlar” (Nokta and People)2. In 1983, it was renamed simply “Nokta”2. The magazine emerged during a significant period in Turkish history, following the military coup of September 12, 19804. Nokta quickly established itself as an influential news and current affairs magazine in Turkey. It adopted a liberal and progressive stance during Ercan Arıklı’s leadership2. The magazine’s approach was groundbreaking for its time, as it aimed to shape the current agenda rather than simply report on it1. Key features of Nokta’s early days include:

1. Comprehensive coverage: The magazine covered a wide range of topics, including political reports, art, health, economy, and culture1.
2. Journalistic innovation: Nokta introduced a fresh style of journalism to Turkey, serving as a leading school for many renowned correspondents1.
3. Tackling taboos: The magazine addressed controversial issues, including sexuality and religion, helping to overcome longstanding problems of self-censorship in Turkish media1.
4. Circulation success: By 1989, Nokta had become the highest-circulation news weekly in Turkey, surpassing its competitor “2000’e Doğru”2.
5. Investigative reporting: Nokta gained a reputation for comprehensive reports and in-depth analyses, setting it apart from daily newspapers1.

Nokta’s approach to journalism in its early years had a lasting impact on Turkish media, influencing subsequent newsweeklies and shaping the landscape of magazine publishing in Turkey throughout the 1980s1.

On the left, there is an early issue of Haksöz. This political Islamist magazine represented a reformist group that was closer to mutazilizm. I was fascinated with their divergence from Sunni radicalism. However, in later years, this group would embrace more mainstream Islamism and sometimes act more reactionary than many other similar groups on social issues.

Haksöz is an Islamic magazine that began publication in Istanbul in 1991. The magazine positions itself as part of the contemporary Islamic revival and return to fundamentals movement3. Here are some key points about Haksöz:

1. Ideological stance: Haksöz identifies itself as part of the contemporary Islamic revival and return to fundamentals movement3.

2. Origin: It emerged from a group that split from the Nationalist Struggle Movement (Yeniden Millî Mücadele Hareketi) in the 1970s5.

3. Content focus: The magazine likely discusses Islamic thought, politics, and social issues from an Islamist perspective, given its self-identification.

4. Ongoing publication: Haksöz appears to still be active, as evidenced by its current news website7.

5. Broader context: Haksöz emerged during a period in the 1970s and 1980s when several Islamic magazines and intellectual circles were gaining prominence in Turkey4.

These included some other political magazines and newspapers I was collecting. I am not sure, but “Çağrı” there is a local newspaper issue. I would systematically collect more local newspapers in the future. Kurtuluş is a long-serving magazine for a radical and armed left organization.