Art, Politics and Society _{Social Realism in Italian and Turkish Cinemas}

The relationship between "art" and "society" can be multiple and the word "society" can encompass an infinite number of cultural, political and economic elements. It is possible to talk about the direct influence of socio-political powers on art such as censure of manipulation for propaganda purposes as well as the more subtle sociological and political determinants on art coming from this general rubrique of society. This work will be primarily concerned with those subtle sociological and political determinants which create the favorable conditions for social realism (and not socialist realism) as a film wave to emerge in particular societies. As for the present study, postwar Italian society in the context of neo-realism in cinema (1945 - 52) and Turkey's social realist movement (1960 - 65) in the aftermath of the Coup will be considered as major examples.