THE STATE OF ATA
The Contested Imagery of Power
in Turkey
Mike Mandel and Chantal Zakari

Hardbound, 8" x 9¼", 272 pages
393 color and 9 black & white illustrations
2010, Eighteen Publications

From the Publisher:
The State of Ata adresses the social themes that define contemporary Turkey. Specifically examining the imagery of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country’s revolutionary leader after WorldWar I, the volume interweaves photographs, interviews, artists’ interventions and archival imagery. The result is a complex visual exploration of the uses of Atatürk’s imagery and the way in which it functions in contemporary Turkish society as a perceived link toWestern culture, and as a symbol in opposition to the rise of the Islamist political movement. Mike Mandel and Chantal Zakari conceived The State of Ata as a collection of books within a book—a photograph album, a volume of military portraits, a diary—and the result is a unique project that will appeal not only to those fascinated by Turkish culture, but also to anyone interested in the popular representations of cult historical figures.