Modern Turkey

Modern Turkey

Modern Turkey

Modern Turks

Modern Turks

Modern Turks

The Turkish Flagship Center, Indiana University Bloomington Atatürk and his Legacy The Turkish Flagship Center, Indiana University Bloomington

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) 1881: Born Mustafa Kemal in Ottoman Salonika (now Thessaloniki, Greece) 1905: Graduated from military academy in Istanbul 1911-13: Fought for Ottomans in Libya, Balkans 1915: Defended against (WWI) Allied invasion in the Dardanelles

Middle East Theater – World War I

The Treaty of Sèvres (Aug 10, 1920)

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938) 1919: Led Turkish National Movement revolt against European occupation, partitioning of Ottoman territories 1921: Established provisional government in Ankara 1922: Revolt is victorious, Turks “reclaim” lands ceded to Greece, Armenia, France, and Kurdish minority

(Modern Turkey)

The Republic of Turkey (Oct 29,1923) The Republic of Turkey was the successor state of the Ottoman Empire Other formerly Ottoman regions had been colonized by European powers (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, N. Africa) or gained independent status (Albania and Macedonia, Armenia)

The “Turkish Nation” Benedict Anderson calls a nation an “imagined community,” one that is created and shaped by its members, and does not necessarily correspond with political borders or state governance

The “Turkish Nation” In Turkey, the national project of the 1920’s and 1930’s followed the phrase One Language, One Culture, and One Ideal Goals of Mustafa Kemal's national project: Recover from wars, death of Ottoman Empire Promote national unity and identity Gain acceptance by European powers Mustafa Kemal was the GLUE that held (and continues to hold?) the nation together

The “Turkish Nation” 6 main tenets: Republicanism Populism Secularism Revolutionarism / Reformism Nationalism Statism

The Sultanate vs. The Republic The Late Ottoman State The Turkish Republic Authority of state comes from God, Islam Religious Western-oriented modernism "Multi-ethnic, Multi-religous, Multi-linguistic" Authority of state comes from Turkish nation (populist support) Secular Western-oriented modernism "One language, One Cultue, One ideal"

Abolition of Islamic Institutions Sultanate abolished in1922 Caliphate abolished in 1924 Madrasa (Islamic school) system abolished in1924 with the establishment of a new national education system Islamic courts and the rich tradition of interpreting Islamic (Shari’a) Law abolished by Constitution…

Western Legal Codes Provisional Constitution of 1921 Constitution of the Republic of Turkey ratified 1924- “The governmental system is based on the principle of self- determination and government by the people” ie constitutional democracy Amendment instituting secularism (removing the phrase “The religion of the state is Islam”) passed 1928 Amendment recognizing women’s rights to vote, hold office passed 1934

Modernization and Turkification (Tenets of Reformism and Nationalism) Hat Law Language Reforms (including literacy campaigns) Surname Law

Ottoman-era fez (N African borrowing, instituted by Sultan Mahmud II in 1829 as “equalizing” standard headgear) Turban worn by member of the ulema (council of Islamic leaders)

Hat Law (1925) Law stating that all male citizens must wear hats, turbans banned for the first time (In the 19th century, fez was instituted as official Ottoman headgear, but an Islamic turban could be worn over it) Passed in conjunction with a law banning dervish lodges and monastic institutions

Kemal Mustafa’s European-style bowler

The Hat Law generated the most hostile resistance from the public (especially religious leaders) of any reform up to that point In Rize, a city in Turkey’s Black Sea region, 57 religious men were hanged for resisting “hats”

Hat Law (1925) Women’s religious dress was not banned, but discouraged. Women in rural areas continued to cover their heads, many others adopted Western-style clothing.

Ataturk’s Nukut (speech) - 1927 October 15-20, 1927 36 total hours, 6 hours per day for 6 days http://www.turkishlanguage.co.uk/hitap.htm

Language Revolution (1928) Prior to 1928, Ottoman or “official” Turkish: Vocabulary was 88% Arabic and Persian Grammar was heavily influenced by Persian Written in Arabic script Used in newspapers, official government documents (reforms had already taken place since 1850 to make Ottoman Turkish more suitable for printed mass media) Used by the elites (only 8% of Turkey’s citizens were literate in 1928)

Language Revolution (1928) In 1928, Ottoman language and script were banned from public life Extended Latin alphabet adopted over a 3-month period Turkified, new “Turkish” language adopted, purging of many words borrowed from Arabic and Persian

Language Revolution (1928) Mustafa Kemal participates in an outdoors Latin alphabet lesson in Kayseri, southern Turkey, 1928

A Man of the People…

Language Revolution (1928) IN CLASS ACTIVITIES (alphabet, language purification)

Language Revolution (1928) "Citizen, speak Turkish!" “Citizen, Speak Turkish” campaign discouraged use of minority languages, even in private life (no law, just public shaming, fear of discrimination) Billboards and posters installed in minority neighborhoods Unofficial campaign – led by Turkish University students

Buy Turkish Campaigns "Turkish citizens buy Turkish products" Student-led campaigns, including “Savings” and “Buy Local” days Promotion of slogans like “Turkish citizens buy Turkish products”

Surname Law (1934) Prior to 1934, Turks in Turkey did not use surnames. The Surname Law stipulated that: 1. All citizens must select a Turkish surname (last name). 2. Surnames were to follow given names. 3. Citizens must select Turkish last names or use Turkish endings, like –oğlu meaning “son of.” Names could not refer to official or military ranks, clans, ethnicities. –yan (Armenian), -zade (Persian), -is or –aki (Greek), -mahmudu or –bin (Arabic) were not approved. ONLY Mustapha Kemal was allowed to choose the surname Ataturk, meaning "Father of the Turks" or "Father of the Turkish Nation“

Surname Law (1934) Surnames allowed for better record-keeping. Surname system based on European model. (In Europe, surnames were instituted during the 11th through 15th centuries) Surnames helped in modern Turkey’s program of Turkification. In today’s Turkey, the most common surname is Öztürk, meaning “pure Turk.” This name was adopted by many in urban areas (eg Istanbul) and Eastern Turkey, where there were many people who were NOT pure Turks. Many non-Turks translated their surnames (Prifti Names Dimitrioğlu (Son of Dimitri, a common Greek first name), Kürtoğlu (Kurd’s son) retain some non-Turk history

Surname Law (1934) IN CLASS ACTIVITY

Turkey in the World “Peace at Home, Peace in the World” was Ataturk’s motto for foreign policy (Contrast with past = Ottoman EMPIRE)

Atatürk’s Death (1938) Died from liver cirrhosis, age, November

Final Resting Place(s) Funeral and interring on November 21, 1938 Body rested at Ethnography Museum of Ankara for 15 years, while mausoleum was constructed Body moved to mausoleum at Anıtkabır (highest hilltop in Ankara)

Atatürk’s Legacy (Post-1938) Cult of personality (or cult of State) continues to today Modernization and the promotion of civil rights imposed from above (not from the grassroots, as in Europe, US) – Independent civil society has expanded more slowly, actively repressed at times Little change for marginalized citizens Kurdish political movements repressed, criminalized Traditional regions in South, East remain underdeveloped

Atatürk and Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan

Comparing 2 “New Turkeys” Atatürk’s “New Turkey” Erdoğan’s “New Turkey” Secular Democracy One-party system (until 1946) with parliamentary representatives elected by direct vote of the people Economic growth through statism—state intervention and state-owned industry Islamic Democracy One party has consolidated most power through coalition-building, populist elections (fairness up for debate) Economic growth through neoliberalism—global free trade, industry tax breaks

Justice and Development Party NEW cult of personality in leader Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan Coalition of conservative religious Muslims, nationalists and reforming center-right elements in 2001 Promotion of religious freedoms, Ottoman-Islamic heritage Changes for “traditional” Turks, Kurds Kurdish parties now included in national elections Headscarf ban for women in public service abolished Islamic “Imam Hatip” Public High Schools (more than doubled between 2011 and 2015) 1 hour/week religious instruction in public elementary schools Ottoman language courses for high schoolers, mandatory in Imam Hatip schools

The Republic of Turkey in 2016 Reintroduction of Islamic institutions Legal reforms (including role of President – Now Erdogan!) Islam now included or at least considered in state matters Female public servants can now wear headscarves, but women’s rights in marriage, reproductive health under fire Insults to Turkishness (and Islam) punishable offenses = Freedoms of speech and press greatly eroded (Turkey was 99th of 167 in media freedom in 2000, 149th today)

Turkey in the World Turkey has turned away from dream of EU membership Sees self as an important leader in the Middle East Improved relations with Muslim neighbors, Worsening relations with Israel Good relationship with the United States Leader on Syrian Crisis, has accepted over 3 million refugees (US has accepted 1,500)

What have we learned?