Reflection of Social Realism in Contemporary Uyghur Literature: Yalqun Rozi and Literary Criticism

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Kasgarli R.

SELCUK UNIVERSITESI TURKIYAT ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI-SELCUK UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF STUDIES IN TURCOLOGY, sa.67, ss.115-137, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Özet

Contemporary Uyghur Literature, which is based on a deep-rooted literary tradition, begins to take shape in the 1910s and produces literary products that adopt realism and romanticism. The literature is not limited to genres such as poetry, theater, short stories and novels, but also develops in the genre of literary criticism. Literary criticism continued to develop with the writings of intellectuals such as Lutfullah the framework of socialist realism between 1949 and 1978 and, like other genres of literature, it was assigned to the establishment of the political regime. After 1980, topics such as the theories, types and methods of western literary criticism are introduced and experimented in contemporary Uyghur literature. Intellectuals such as Muhemmet Polat, Yalqun Rozi gave impetus to literary criticism through their literary criticism writings and research. Yalqun Rozi (1966-) came to the forefront and gained popularity in the society with his critical writings adopting social realism. In many of his reviews, he evaluates the work from the perspective of realism. Rozi was arrested in 2016. Although social realism has been used by some writers as a means of correcting the negativities in society, it seems to have lost its function with today's practices.