İstanbul Halk Mizahında Şaşı Hafız Anlatıları
The Narratives of Şaşı Hafız in Istanbul Folk Humor

Summary/Abstract: This study focuses on Şaşı Hafız, one of Istanbul’s significant humorous types, and the humorous narratives that have formed around him. Little historical information about his life is available despite the fact that he lived in the recent past. Beyond being a folkloric and literary repertoire transmitted for entertainment purposes, humor is also important as a field that reveals established systems of thought and makes visible how societal thought systems are constructed and operate. Drawing on these aspects of humor, this study aims to identify the types of humorous narratives in which Şaşı Hafız, a religious figure of Istanbul’s urban culture, is featured. The broader objective of the study is to draw attention to the importance of witty individuals –who give people the occasion to laugh together in a cosmopolitan city like Istanbul, play a uniting role through humor within society, and are influential in Istanbul’s daily life– for urban culture. Data on humor obtained through literature review from various written sources have been analyzed using a functional perspective and content analysis in this study conducted with these aims. The analysis reveals that Şaşı Hafız is a figure capable of bringing together conflicting ideas through humor. The humorous narratives associated with him function, on the surface, to alleviate individual troubles and articulate shortcomings, reflecting a repertoire that shows what categories the people of Istanbul think about, what they laugh at or what concerns them. At a deeper level, these humorous narratives constitute a space emerging from the intense cognitive efforts of communities holding different beliefs, thoughts, and statuses as they strive to continue living together.

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