An abstract of the thesis of Bilgen Komut for the degree of Master of Arts from the Ataturk Institute for Modern Turkish History to be taken October 2006

A Reading Practice as the Consumption of Leisure Time: Hayat Magazine 1980-1986

This study strives to shed light on the socio-cultural transformations of a period, the 1980s. This decade, for Turkey, is evaluated throughout the thesis as a new break in continuity rather than a total differentiation. Because, even though there were constant transformations beginning in the 1950s towards “consumption society,” consumption patterns and leisure activities were evolved into cultural practices by permeating the everyday life through multiple media channels in the 1980s. Since reading practice was a widespread leisure activity and Hayat was one of the most well-known weekly newsperiodicals, the issues of this magazine published in the post-1980 is decoded within the thesis in order to get an understanding of two points: one is the changing assessment of leisure time and the other is the role attributed to media. Therefore, throughout the thesis the historical period the thesis deals with is discussed by considering the interaction between two points.

Atatürk Ilkeleri ve Inkilap Tarihi Enstitüsü’nde Yüksek Lisans derecesi için Bilgen Komut tarafindan Ekim 2006’da teslim edilen tezin kisa özeti

Bos Zamanin Tüketimi Olarak Okuma Pratigi: Hayat Dergisi 1980-1986

Bu çalisma bir dönemin, 1980ler’in sosyo-kültürel dönüsümüne isik tutmayi amaçlamaktadir. Bu on yillik dönem tez boyunca total bir farklilasmadan ziyade süreç içerisinde bir kirilma olarak ele alinmistir. Çünkü, her ne kadar 1950ler’den itibaren “tüketim toplumuna” yönelik dönüsümler gerçeklesmisse de, asil 1980ler’de tüketim kaliplari ve bos zaman aktiviteleri sayisiz medya kanaliyla gündelik hayata etki ederek kültürel pratikler haline gelmistir. Okuma pratigi yaygin bir bos zaman aktivitesi oldugu ve Hayat da en bilenen haftalik haber-aktüalite dergisi oldugundan, bu derginin 1980ler sonrasinda çikan sayilari iki konuyu anlamlandirabilmek için incelenmistir: ilki, bos zamana dair degisen degerlendirmeler, digeri de medyaya atfedilen rol. Dolayisiyla tez boyunca tezin üzerinde durdugu tarihsel dönem de bu iki nokta arasindaki etkilesimi tartismaktadir.