The Historical Sociology of Film Criticism as a Profession: The Institutionalization of Criticism in the Journal Yeni Sinema, Published by the Turkish Cinematheque Association (1966–1980)

Abstract

This study examines the institutionalization of film criticism as an autonomous profession in Turkey through a historical sociological perspective, focusing on the journal Yeni Sinema, published by the Turkish Cinematheque Association between 1966 and 1980. Adopting a historical sociological perspective, it argues that the profession of film criticism became institutionalized as a result of the antagonism between critics and Yeşilçam directors during this period. While this conflict had begun in the 1950s, it intensified during the 1960s. Positioned as an active party alongside writers and against dominant currents within Yeşilçam, the Cinematheque Association played a crucial role in shaping a new professional identity for critics through the launch of Yeni Sinema in 1966. Yeni Sinema—specifically with its "Special Issue on Criticism" (Issue 8)—undertook the task of theorizing the profession's identity by conducting the first comprehensive surveys within the industry and interpreting the results in detail. In this way, the specific conditions and boundaries of the profession of film criticism were attempted to be defined from both practical and theoretical perspectives. The journal carefully distinguished film criticism from earlier forms of film promotion, striving instead to construct a professional identity grounded in expertise, ethical responsibility, and cultural capital. The emphasis on “loving cinema,” cultural cultivation, and independence suggests that the critic’s authority was framed less in terms of technical knowledge and more through aesthetic judgment and cultural competence. Methodologically, the study is grounded in a qualitative content analysis of the 32-issue archive of Yeni Sinema published between 1966 and 1980. Theoretically, the study utilizes Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual toolkit and is predicated upon Mattias Frey’s Bourdieusian framework, which suggests that the profession of film criticism has continuously reconstructed itself around a recurring 'anxiety of authority' amidst a state of persistent crisis since its 'golden age' in the 1960s.