The role of secularization within the Turkish nation-state building process

Download

index.pdf

Date

2004

Author

Sarı, Özgür

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

239
views

78
downloads

The objective of this study is to analyze the role of secularization within the Turkish nation-state building process between the late 19th and the early 20th century; hereby an emphasis will also be on the relations between the state and religion. This study will consider the Religious Affairs Directory as the key institutional actor in this process. This institutional reflection of secularization will be studied as an interesting case of state controlled social change on and over religion in society. The state reproduces its legitimization and discourse over the Religious Affairs Directory, therefore some publications and khutbas of that institution in 2003 and 2004 will be analyzed. On the other hand, secularization was defined on 5th February 1937 in the 1924 Constitution with the law numbered 3115, as the separation of the state and religious affairs and the equal distance of the state̕s position towards all beliefs and believers. The contradiction between the state̕s definition and institutional application of secularization will be criticized. The first contradiction is the integration of state and religious affairs. The statist discourse legitimizes the state through the religious affairs and as it will be seen in the analyzed publications and khutbas of the Religious Affairs Directory, the statist and religious discourses overlap each other. Since this overlapping enables the integration of state and religious affairs through the Religious Affairs Directory as a constitutional institution, the applications of this institution contradict with the constitutional definition of Turkish secularization. The second feature of the Turkish secularization is that the state applies this practice over only one sect (Sunni-Hannifin) which is an obstacle for the state̕s position against all the religious beliefs. The legitimization of the state is being done through the

Subject Keywords

General Social Sciences.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12605570/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/14901

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

The formation and consolidation of Pamiri ethnic identity in Tajikistan Davlatshoev, Suhrobsho; Tokluoğlu, Ayşe Ceylan; Department of Eurasian Studies (2006) The aim of this study is to examine the formation and consolidation of the Pamiri people in Tajikistan. The research focuses on two topics. The first is to compare the primordialist and constructionist schools over the question of the features individuating ethnic groups. The formation of Pamiri ethnic identity during the Soviet rule was selected as a case study of this thesis. The second topic of this study is to examine the formation of Pamiri ethnic identity and the factors that contributed for its conso...
An examination of two Turkish NGOs from a pluralist perspective : Human Rights Association (İHD) and Women for Women's Human Rights-New Ways (KİH-YÇV) Çoban, Aslıhan; Acar, Ayşe Feride; Department of Political Science and Public Administration (2006) The major aim of this study is to evaluate the role of Turkish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the consolidation of democracy in Turkey regarding the characteristics defined by the classical pluralist theories, starting with the ideas of Alexis de Tocqueville, and by contemporary pluralist approaches to civil society. To that end, characteristics of two examples, İHD and KİH-YÇV will be examined using three dimensions: effectiveness, enhancing solidarity and responsibility, and the dimension of inn...
The conception of development in the Turkish left in the 1960s : the case of TİP Şimşek, Gökçe Heval; Yalman, Osman Galip; Department of Political Science and Public Administration (2004) The object of this study is to elaborate the question of development, which was an issue of major concern in the Turkish left in the 1960's with reference to the views of TIP. It is seen that TIP's conception of the issue was articulated through an understanding of 'developmentalist socialism', which was a reflection of the intrnational approaches to the question of development during the period. It is argued in the study that the placing of the evaluation within a historical context is crucial in order to ...
The genesis of think-tank culture in Turkey: past, present and future? Aydın, Aziz; Altunışık, Hüseyin; Department of International Relations (2006) This thesis analyses the emergence and evolution of the think-tanks in Turkey. It seeks primarily to answer to whether or not it is possible to mention ‘a think-tank culture’ in Turkey. After the definition, characteristics and types of the think-tank term are debated, the historical background of think-tanks all over the world is analyzed. The thesis looks at similarities and differences among the think-tanks in and outside Turkey in terms of their size and areas of specialization. It also tries to find ou...
The reconstruction of the past in the process of nation building in kazakhstan Usta, Ali Deniz; Aydıngün, Ayşegül; Department of Eurasian Studies (2007) In this thesis, the purpose is to analyze the path that the nation building process in Kazakhstan has been following in the post-Soviet period through examining the various policies implemented and the official rhetoric and discourses stated by the Kazakh policymakers. The ethno-symbolist approach of Anthony D. Smith and the views of Walker Connor and Willfried Spohn on nationalism and national identity have been utilized in the analysis of the research. The Soviet Nationalities Policy is examined to be abl...

Citation Formats

Ö. Sarı, “The role of secularization within the Turkish nation-state building process,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2004.