MODERNIZATION AND RURAL CHANGE IN TURKEY: A PERSPECTIVE FROM VISUAL HISTORY

Abstract

The village question and rural change in Turkish history has been one of the most enduring debates in the historiography. In this essay, I propose to revisit modernization theory of 1950s and 60s by bringing in visual history. Turkish studies in the post-World War II era was at the forefront of modernization studies at the time. I argue that such works were not able to take into full consideration the transformations in daily life. To trace the changes in daily life brought by the Kemalist modernization project, I look at everyday visual artifacts and encounters. Particularly, I focus on the figure of the hoca and its representations in the public sphere in the early republican period.

Keywords

• Rural change,visual culture,secularism,modernization,Turkey

TÜRKİYE’DE MODERNLEŞME VE KIRSAL DEĞİŞİM: GÖRSEL TARİHTEN BİR BAKIŞ

Abstract

Türkiye tarihinde köy meselesi ve kırsal değişim tarih yazımında en kalıcı tartışmalardan biri olmuştur. Bu makalede, 1950 ve 60larda ki modernleşme kuramını görsel tarihi kullanarak yeniden değerlendirmeyi sunuyorum. İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrası Türkiye çalışmaları dönemin modernleşme çalışmalarının önde gelenlerindendi. Bu çalışmalar gündelik yaşamın dönüşümlerini tam anlamıyla dikkate alamadılar. Kemalist modernleşme projesinin getirdiği gündelik yaşamdaki değişimlerin izini sürebilmek için gündelik görsel eserlere ve rastlaşmalara bakıyorum. Özellikle erken cumhuriyet döneminde hoca figürüne ve onun kamusal alandaki temsillerine odaklanıyorum.

Keywords

• Kırsal değişim,görsel kültür,sekülerizm,modernleşme,Türkiye

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