THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY IN TURKISH AND UZBEK MODERN POETRY: THE EVOLUTION OF THE LYRIC “I”

Abstract

This article explores the evolution of the lyric “I” in Turkish and Uzbek modern poetry, focusing on how shifting socio-political contexts shaped poetic subjectivity. Through a comparative literary analysis grounded in modernist and postcolonial theory, the study examines three stages in the transformation of the lyric subject: the collective-social phase, the individualized-urban phase, and the existential-reflective phase. Drawing on representative poets from both traditions, the research demonstrates that the lyric “I” evolved from a national-representative voice to a psychologically complex and existentially fragmented subject. Despite differences in historical trajectories, Republican modernization in Turkey and colonial-Soviet transformation in Uzbekistan, both literary traditions reveal parallel negotiations between personal identity and social responsibility. The findings contribute to comparative modernist studies and deepen understanding of subjectivity in Turkic and Central Asian poetic discourse.