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A Critical Examination of Education Reforms Implemented in the Early Years of the Turkish Republic

Year 2011, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 59 - 82, 22.05.2011

Abstract

A wide variety of fundamental reforms in different spheres of Turkey's institutions were swiftly implemented in a top-down manner in the early years of the Turkish Republic. This paper critically examines educational reforms and policies with an emphasis on the language reform. Since an analysis of socio-cultural and socio-political context is fundamental to understanding education reforms, the article examines those reforms and policies within the larger social, cultural, and political context within which reforms were carried out. In order to evaluate reforms from a broader perspective, the article scrutinizes the assumptions, beliefs, ideologies, and goals of those politicians or reformers who implemented reforms. The focus will be on the critical examination of the reformers' claim that all reforms were aimed at creating a democratic republic and society and benefited the whole public by taking into account the common good and will of the people. To what extent were the reforms implemented in Turkey consistent with this claim and the principles of democracy? That is question this article aims to answer.

References

  • Ahmad, F. (1993). The making of modern Turkey. London: Routledge.
  • Akural, S. M. (1984). Kemalist views on social change. In Landau, J. M. (Ed.), Atatürk and the modernization of Turkey (pp.125-152). Colorado: Westview Press.
  • Albayrak, M. (1989). Yeni Türk Harfleri’nin kabulü öncesinde, halk eğitimi ve yazı değişimi konusunda Türk kamuoyunda bazı tartışmalar ve Millet Mektepleri’nin açılması (1862-1928). Türk İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 4, 463- 495.
  • Aydemir, Ş. S. (1995). Tek adam Mustafa Kemal (1922-1938), Cilt III (12. basım). İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
  • Basak, O. (1986). Turkish language reform. In Renda, G., & Kortepeter, C. M. (Eds.), The transformation of Turkish culture: The Ataturk legacy (pp. 95-111). Princeton: The Kingston Press.
  • Bingol, Y. (2009). Language, identity and politics in Turkey: Nationalist discourse on creating a common Turkic language. Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, 8(2), 40-52.
  • Bosworth, C. E. (1965). Language reform and nationalism in modem Turkey: A brief conspectus (second installment). The Muslim World 55(2), 117-24.
  • Cuceloglu, D., & Slobin, D. I. (1976). Effects of the Turkish language reform on person perception. Berkeley: University of California Language-Behavior Research Laboratory.
  • Cuthell, D. C. (2009). Atatürk, Kemal (Mustafa Kemal). In G. Ágoston and B. Masters (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire (pp.56-60). New York: Facts On File, Inc.
  • Çalık, R., & Baltaoğlu, A.G. (2001). Alman kaynaklarında Türk Harf İnkılâbı ve yankıları (Elçilik raporları-basın ve diğer kaynaklar). Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnkılâp Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 27-28, 263-283.
  • Çınar, A. (2005). Modernity, Islam, and secularism in Turkey: Bodies, places, and time. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Davison, R. H. (1998). Turkey: A short history. Huntingdon: The Eothen Press.
  • Dogancay, S. A. (1995). An evaluation of the Turkish language reform after 60 years. Language Problems and Language Planning, 19(3), 221-249.
  • Ersanlı, B. (2002). The Ottoman Empire in the historiography of the Kemalist era: A theory of fatal decline. In F. Adanır and S. Faroqhi (Eds.), The Ottomans and the Balkans: A discussion of historiography (pp.115-154). Leiden: Brill.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1971). The impact of nationalism on language planning. In Rubin, J. and Jernudd, B (Eds.), Can language be planned? (pp.3-20). Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii.
  • Goldschmidt, A. & Davidson, L. (2006). A concise history of the Middle East (8th edition). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
  • Göknar, E. (2008). The novel in Turkish: Narrative tradition to Nobel prize. In R. Kasaba (Ed.), The Cambridge history of Turkey, Volume IV: Turkey in the modern world (pp.472-503). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Karpat, K. H. (1970). Modern Turkey. In P. M. Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, and B. Lewis (Eds.), The Cambridge history of Islam, Volume IB The central Islamic lands since 1918 (pp.527-565). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Katoğlu, M. (2007). Cumhuriyet Türkiyesi’nde eğitim, kültür, sanat. In Sina Akşin (Ed.), Türkiye tarihi 4: Çağdaş Türkiye 1908-1980 (pp.393-504) (9. basım). İstanbul: Cem Yayınevi.
  • Kayıran, M., & Metintaş, M. Y. (2009). Latin kökenli yeni Türk alfabesine geçiş süreci ve millet mektepleri. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24, 191- 206.
  • Korkmaz, Z. (2009). Alfabe devriminin Türk toplumu üzerindeki sosyal ve kültürel etkileri. Turkish Studies, 4/3, 1469-1480.
  • Köprülü, M. F. (1926). Harf meselesi. Millî Mecmua, 75.
  • Köprülü, M. F. (1938). Alfabe İnkılâbı. Ülkü Dergisi, 12(67), 1-2.
  • Lewis, B. (1968). The emergence of modern Turkey. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Lewis, G. (1999). The Turkish language reform: A catastrophic success. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Metz, H. C. (1996). Turkey: A country study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
  • Milton-Edwards, B. (2005). Politics and religion. In Youssef M. Choueiri (Ed.), A companion to the history of the Middle East (pp.444-461). Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Nahir, M. (1984). Language planning goals: A classification. Language Problems and Language Planning, 8, 294-327.
  • Öztürk, İ. (2004). Harf Devrimi ve sonuçları. İstanbul: Adam Yayınları.
  • Perry, J. R. (2004). Language reform in Turkey and Iran. In T. Atabaki and E. J. Zürcher (Eds.), Men of order: Authoritarian modernization under Atatürk and Reza Shah (pp. 238-259). New York: I.B. Tauris & Co.
  • Pitman, P. M. (1987). Turkey: A country study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
  • Römer, C. (2009). Language and script. In G. Ágoston and B. Masters (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire (pp.322-323). New York: Facts On File, Inc.
  • Sarıkoyuncu, E. (2008). Amerikan basınında Türk Harf ve Dil Devrimi. 80. Yılında Türk Harf İnkılabı Uluslararası Sempozyumu, Yeditepe Üniversitesi, 10-11 Kasım 2008.
  • Shaw, J.S. & Shaw, E.K. (1977). History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey: Volume II Reform, revolution, and republic. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Şavkay, T. (2002). Dil Devrimi. İstanbul: Gelenek Yayıncılık.
  • Şimşir, B. N. (1992). Türk Yazı Devrimi. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınevi.
  • Şimşir, B. N. (2006). Türk Harf Devrimi üzerine incelemeler. Ankara: Atam Yayınları.
  • Tongul, N. (2004). Türk Harf İnkılâbı. Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnkılâp Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 33/34,103-130.
  • Toprak, B. (1981). Islam and politica1 development in Turkey. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
  • Tseng, L. (2009). Harf İnkılabından bugüne kadar Türkçe kelimelerin imlası üzerine bir değerlendirme. Turkish Studies: International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic, 4/3, 2190-2204.
  • Wolf-Gazo, E. (1996). John Dewey in Turkey: An educational mission. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 3, 15-42.
  • Zürcher, E.J. (2003). Turkey: A modern history (3rd edition). New York: I.B. Tauris.
Year 2011, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 59 - 82, 22.05.2011

Abstract

References

  • Ahmad, F. (1993). The making of modern Turkey. London: Routledge.
  • Akural, S. M. (1984). Kemalist views on social change. In Landau, J. M. (Ed.), Atatürk and the modernization of Turkey (pp.125-152). Colorado: Westview Press.
  • Albayrak, M. (1989). Yeni Türk Harfleri’nin kabulü öncesinde, halk eğitimi ve yazı değişimi konusunda Türk kamuoyunda bazı tartışmalar ve Millet Mektepleri’nin açılması (1862-1928). Türk İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 4, 463- 495.
  • Aydemir, Ş. S. (1995). Tek adam Mustafa Kemal (1922-1938), Cilt III (12. basım). İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
  • Basak, O. (1986). Turkish language reform. In Renda, G., & Kortepeter, C. M. (Eds.), The transformation of Turkish culture: The Ataturk legacy (pp. 95-111). Princeton: The Kingston Press.
  • Bingol, Y. (2009). Language, identity and politics in Turkey: Nationalist discourse on creating a common Turkic language. Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, 8(2), 40-52.
  • Bosworth, C. E. (1965). Language reform and nationalism in modem Turkey: A brief conspectus (second installment). The Muslim World 55(2), 117-24.
  • Cuceloglu, D., & Slobin, D. I. (1976). Effects of the Turkish language reform on person perception. Berkeley: University of California Language-Behavior Research Laboratory.
  • Cuthell, D. C. (2009). Atatürk, Kemal (Mustafa Kemal). In G. Ágoston and B. Masters (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire (pp.56-60). New York: Facts On File, Inc.
  • Çalık, R., & Baltaoğlu, A.G. (2001). Alman kaynaklarında Türk Harf İnkılâbı ve yankıları (Elçilik raporları-basın ve diğer kaynaklar). Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnkılâp Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 27-28, 263-283.
  • Çınar, A. (2005). Modernity, Islam, and secularism in Turkey: Bodies, places, and time. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Davison, R. H. (1998). Turkey: A short history. Huntingdon: The Eothen Press.
  • Dogancay, S. A. (1995). An evaluation of the Turkish language reform after 60 years. Language Problems and Language Planning, 19(3), 221-249.
  • Ersanlı, B. (2002). The Ottoman Empire in the historiography of the Kemalist era: A theory of fatal decline. In F. Adanır and S. Faroqhi (Eds.), The Ottomans and the Balkans: A discussion of historiography (pp.115-154). Leiden: Brill.
  • Fishman, J. A. (1971). The impact of nationalism on language planning. In Rubin, J. and Jernudd, B (Eds.), Can language be planned? (pp.3-20). Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii.
  • Goldschmidt, A. & Davidson, L. (2006). A concise history of the Middle East (8th edition). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
  • Göknar, E. (2008). The novel in Turkish: Narrative tradition to Nobel prize. In R. Kasaba (Ed.), The Cambridge history of Turkey, Volume IV: Turkey in the modern world (pp.472-503). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Karpat, K. H. (1970). Modern Turkey. In P. M. Holt, Ann K. S. Lambton, and B. Lewis (Eds.), The Cambridge history of Islam, Volume IB The central Islamic lands since 1918 (pp.527-565). New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Katoğlu, M. (2007). Cumhuriyet Türkiyesi’nde eğitim, kültür, sanat. In Sina Akşin (Ed.), Türkiye tarihi 4: Çağdaş Türkiye 1908-1980 (pp.393-504) (9. basım). İstanbul: Cem Yayınevi.
  • Kayıran, M., & Metintaş, M. Y. (2009). Latin kökenli yeni Türk alfabesine geçiş süreci ve millet mektepleri. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24, 191- 206.
  • Korkmaz, Z. (2009). Alfabe devriminin Türk toplumu üzerindeki sosyal ve kültürel etkileri. Turkish Studies, 4/3, 1469-1480.
  • Köprülü, M. F. (1926). Harf meselesi. Millî Mecmua, 75.
  • Köprülü, M. F. (1938). Alfabe İnkılâbı. Ülkü Dergisi, 12(67), 1-2.
  • Lewis, B. (1968). The emergence of modern Turkey. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Lewis, G. (1999). The Turkish language reform: A catastrophic success. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Metz, H. C. (1996). Turkey: A country study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
  • Milton-Edwards, B. (2005). Politics and religion. In Youssef M. Choueiri (Ed.), A companion to the history of the Middle East (pp.444-461). Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Nahir, M. (1984). Language planning goals: A classification. Language Problems and Language Planning, 8, 294-327.
  • Öztürk, İ. (2004). Harf Devrimi ve sonuçları. İstanbul: Adam Yayınları.
  • Perry, J. R. (2004). Language reform in Turkey and Iran. In T. Atabaki and E. J. Zürcher (Eds.), Men of order: Authoritarian modernization under Atatürk and Reza Shah (pp. 238-259). New York: I.B. Tauris & Co.
  • Pitman, P. M. (1987). Turkey: A country study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
  • Römer, C. (2009). Language and script. In G. Ágoston and B. Masters (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire (pp.322-323). New York: Facts On File, Inc.
  • Sarıkoyuncu, E. (2008). Amerikan basınında Türk Harf ve Dil Devrimi. 80. Yılında Türk Harf İnkılabı Uluslararası Sempozyumu, Yeditepe Üniversitesi, 10-11 Kasım 2008.
  • Shaw, J.S. & Shaw, E.K. (1977). History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey: Volume II Reform, revolution, and republic. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Şavkay, T. (2002). Dil Devrimi. İstanbul: Gelenek Yayıncılık.
  • Şimşir, B. N. (1992). Türk Yazı Devrimi. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınevi.
  • Şimşir, B. N. (2006). Türk Harf Devrimi üzerine incelemeler. Ankara: Atam Yayınları.
  • Tongul, N. (2004). Türk Harf İnkılâbı. Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnkılâp Tarihi Enstitüsü Atatürk Yolu Dergisi, 33/34,103-130.
  • Toprak, B. (1981). Islam and politica1 development in Turkey. Leiden: E. J. Brill.
  • Tseng, L. (2009). Harf İnkılabından bugüne kadar Türkçe kelimelerin imlası üzerine bir değerlendirme. Turkish Studies: International Periodical For the Languages, Literature and History of Turkish or Turkic, 4/3, 2190-2204.
  • Wolf-Gazo, E. (1996). John Dewey in Turkey: An educational mission. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 3, 15-42.
  • Zürcher, E.J. (2003). Turkey: A modern history (3rd edition). New York: I.B. Tauris.
There are 42 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section History Education
Authors

Kemal Atatürk This is me

Geniş Özet This is me

Publication Date May 22, 2011
Published in Issue Year 2011 Volume: 2 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Atatürk, K., & Özet, G. (2011). A Critical Examination of Education Reforms Implemented in the Early Years of the Turkish Republic. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 2(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.17499/jsser.55308