TURKISH IDENTITY AND THE PERCEPTION OF EUROPE

Öz

The paper concerns the perception of Europe as a determinant of Turkish identity. It attempts to pursue the trajectory of the perception of Europe by referring to the understanding of the concept among the intelligentsia and the political elite starting with the 19th century. Turks were mostly seen as the other of Europe at least unti/1856 when the Ottoman Empire was included into the Concert of Europe. Even before that date, relations with Europe had a determining effect on the Turks' perception of themselves and their vocation in the world. Since the beginning of Ottoman decline vis-a-vis Europe, Turkish identity in relation to Europe included two opposing elements: a yearning for Europe coupled with a sense of mistrust. The development of those two types of attitude can be traced back to the Empire, to the 17th century when the Empire began to decline vis-a-vis European powers. The governing elite intended to reverse the decline by emulating European countries in science, military craft, education etc. The decline of the Empire vis-a-vis the West, the demise of the Empire, the War of Independence and the formation of the Republic had important effects on the shaping of Turkish identity. The paper attempts to pursue the trajectory of the perception of 'Europe' by referring mainly to perceptions of the Turkish political elite and intelligensia starting with the ]9th century up to the present day. It thus tries to analyze the significance of the concept of 'Europe' in determining Turkish socio-cultural identity.

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