Two Non-Western Modernization Experiences: Transformation of State and Society During the Atatürk and Habib Bourguiba Eras
Öz
This article offers a comparative analysis of two non-Western modernization projects led by charismatic founders in Muslim societies: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Türkiye (1923–1938) and Habib Bourguiba in Tunisia (1957–1981). Rather than narrating two separate national histories, the study focuses on how these leaders reconfigured state and society through authoritarian but reformist strategies. It first examines state-building, including tactics used during the independence struggle, the establishment of founding authority, single-party rule, and the design of constitutional, “democratic” and secular frameworks. It then analyzes the social engineering dimension of both projects, with particular attention to the transformation of religious and traditional structures, women’s rights and family law, education, and the construction of nation-state myths. The article argues that while Bourguiba explicitly drew on Atatürk as a role model and reproduced many Kemalist patterns, the temporal gap, postcolonial context and different configurations of religion and ulama produced diverging outcomes in Tunisia. By juxtaposing Turkish and Tunisian experiences, the article contributes to the literature on non-Western modernizations and authoritarian state-building in the Middle East and North Africa.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Kaynakça
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