The Role Of Two Museums In The Formatıon Of Turkısh Natıonal Identıty In The Early Republıcan Perıod Of Türkiye: The Museum Of Anatolıan Cıvılızatıons And The Museum Of Ethnography

Date

2024-8

Author

Doğanaksoy Keçeli, İpek

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The concept of nation prompted numerous discussions pertaining to national identity. The relationship between recently established nation-states and museums became noteworthy. The primary objective of this research is to examine the function of museums in shaping Turkish national identity by examining the Museum of Ethnography and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, two of the Republic of Türkiye's pioneering museums. In fact, in the researcher's opinion, it is essential to recognize museums as places of sociological study. The research addresses two significant topics. First, how did these museums contribute to developing Turkish national identity? Second, have museums been instrumentalized by the state? A qualitative analysis is utilized to investigate the responses to these questions. The research data is based on documentary research and semi-structured expert interviews. Interviews are conducted with twenty-five experts, including museum directors, academics, archaeologists, art historians, and architects. The field study allowed for examining the viewpoints of specialists and scholars who approached the issue from an interdisciplinary perspective. Upon concluding the study, it has been revealed that museums function as institutions that demonstrate the ideals the state upholds to society rather than directly influencing national identity. The presence of these values in museums establishes the Turkish national identity by anchoring it in a cultural feeling of belonging rather than an ethnic heritage. However, this research has found that museums have proven their role as state-building components.

Subject Keywords

Nation-building, State-building, National identity, Nation, Sociology of museology, Museology, Museum

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/110654

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis