Representation of Jews in the Media before the Application of the Wealth Tax: A Review on Karikatür Magazine
Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2021
ABSTRACT In this study, the role of the anti-Semitic discourses created by media organs in the fo... more ABSTRACT In this study, the role of the anti-Semitic discourses created by media organs in the formation of the Wealth Tax was examined. For this purpose, in this study, anti-Semitic cartoons published before the Wealth Tax, specifically Karikatür Magazine, which is one of the journals that frequently include anti-Semitic propaganda discourses of the period, are analysed using the semiotics technique In the cartoons examined within the scope of the study, it is revealed that Jews are presented as money-goers, hoarders and people with great wealth. The findings of the study support the view that ‘anti-Semitic discourses built in the media play a role in the implementation of the Wealth Tax’.
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Papers by Sadık Çaliskan
This study offers a detailed mise-en-scène analysis of The Substance (2024), a genre-bending film by Coralie Fargeat that merges body horror with social critique. By examining visual and auditory elements—such as space design, costume and makeup, lighting, color palette, sound design, camera work, and performance—the article explores how the film constructs its narrative and ideological framework. The mise-en-scène is not treated merely as an aesthetic apparatus, but as a narrative strategy that visualizes the protagonist’s psychological transformation and critiques the patriarchal commodification of the female body. Through symbolic spatial arrangements, grotesque makeup effects, color-coded character representations, and a satirical yet unsettling soundscape, the film deconstructs beauty myths and identity fragmentation. Drawing from film theory—including Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze and Barbara Creed’s The Monstrous-Feminine—the article situates The Substance within a tradition of feminist horror cinema, emphasizing how it reclaims female agency by making visible the pressures of social norms. Ultimately, the study reveals that The Substance is not only a stylistically bold narrative, but also a political cinematic statement that expands the expressive potential of mise-en-scène as a tool for social critique.
The Substance is a 2024 released body horror film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, which has been awarded as the best screenplay at the 77 Cannes Film Festival. Starring Demi Moore, it features an in depth exploration of the psychological impacts of idealized beauty standards, age, and the internalized violence inflicted on women by the society. The film deals with the self-destructing effects of beauty ideals placed upon women through multilayered metaphors, images and nuanced storytelling. Key symbols such as the Hollywood star of Elisabeth Sparkle (the protagonist), which is gradually wearing down, or the substance itself, suggest the deep consequences of social marginalization and beauty standards that emphasize perfection. The juxtaposition of Elisabeth and her idealized younger self, Sue, brings the issue to another level, showing the futile chase for perfection and eternal youth, while body horror serves as the externalization of the misogyny. Toward the end of the movie, the “Monstro”, another metaphor, points to freedom through self-acceptance. Ultimately, The Substance is a movie that transcends its plot and engages the audience in compelling meditation on societal norms devoid of true worth, identity and self-acceptance beyond physicality. This study underlines the importance of the film as a psychological and existential reflection on the human condition.
Keywords: body horror, beauty standards, self-acceptance