Mocking High Society as a Method of Balancing Class Inequality in the Early Republican Press: The Dolmabahce Incident
CTAD-CUMHURIYET TARIHI ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI, cilt.22, sa.44, ss.261-285, 2026 (ESCI)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 22 Sayı: 44
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: CTAD-CUMHURIYET TARIHI ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.261-285
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Although the residence of the ruling elite was the new capital city, & Idot;stanbul, which continued to be the social center of the young Republic as it had been during the Ottoman period, was shaken by a scandal in 1925 that was quite unfamiliar. The case in question involved Princess & Scedil;ivek & acirc;r, a popular figure of the upper class in both Egypt and T & uuml;rkiye, and Sidi Wirt, the first wife of Lieutenant General Mehmet SSakir Pasha's youngest son, Suat SSakir. Even though the family became known as the "SSakir Pasha Family" in later years, due to their artistic accomplishments, back then the princess' fame was much more widespread. As both parties belonged to the upper class the lawsuits stemming from the scandal received extensive coverage in the press. This article aims to examine the mentioned news, thus revealing the press' approach to an incident concerning high society. In fact, during this period when the young Republic was fighting for its existence, the press, which showed affinity for the lower and middle classes, adopted a distant attitude towards the elites who looked down on these groups, which were seen as the fundamental support of the regime under construction. The manner in which the events analyzed in the article and the related lawsuits were handled constitutes an example of this behavior pattern and represents a case that has been overlooked until now.