Cultural Geographies of Gallipoli: Commemorations and Identity

The discourses of the past are constructed socially and expressed materially in the Gallipoli commemorations from a cultural geographic perspective. Gallipoli is a place where multiple nations have commemorated antagonistic histories in the same space following WWI. The sanctity of several sites has been reinforced over the years by construction of additional monuments and memorials at the peninsula. This research deals with the spatial aspect of the commemorations throughout Turkey by looking at the intensity of commemorations in different places and times. The published research, memorials and archival materials were examined. while remembrance activities were appraised to determine the significance of the events for the local communities and beyond. Original research places particular emphasis on the schools that have no graduates in their records for 1915, as the final year students went to Gallipoli and never returned.