scholarly journals The First Episode of Language Reform in Republican Turkey: The Language Council from 1926 to 1931

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
İLKER AYTÜRK
Keyword(s):  
First Episode ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Language Reform ◽  
Administration Culture ◽  
Major Fault ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Turkish Language

Following the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 and the consolidation of the Kemalist regime in 1926, the President of the new republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk launched a reform process which aimed at changing Turkey's laws, administration, culture and, most significantly, its image. One facet of this process of transformation was the language reform that commenced with romanisation of the Turkish script in late 1928 and reached its zenith later on in the 1930s. Between 1932 and 1934, the Türk Dil Kurumu – the Turkish Language Institute, a radical reformist institution founded by Atatürk in 1932 – banished thousands of Arabic and Persian words from spoken and written Turkish and fabricated new, ‘authentically’ Turkish, words to replace them. The radical-reformist zeal subsided in 1935 as a result of the linguistic chaos of the previous years and came to a halt in 1936 with the proclamation of the so-called Sun-Language Theory. However, so much had changed during those few years and has done since, that even secondary school and university graduates in contemporary Turkey are not able to read and understand, for instance, Atatürk's famous Speech of 1926 from its original, and hence feel the need to consult ‘modernised’ or simplified versions. In this respect, the legacy of the language reform in early republican Turkey remains a matter of bitter controversy and pits the reformist Kemalists against an array of Islamists, conservatives and even liberals. The current debate on what proper Turkish is neatly overlaps with the major fault line that still divides Turkish society.

Republican conception of liberty in early republican Turkey and its contemporary implications

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 429-439
Author(s):  
Boğaç Erozan
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Republican Period ◽  
Initial Failure ◽  
The Past ◽  
Political Problem ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Early Republican

Established in 1923, Turkey has been a republic without a dominant republican conception of liberty. A chance to install such a conception was missed in the early republican period and never recaptured. The republic was unable to get rid of vestiges of the authoritarian tradition of the past. Centuries-old authoritarian tradition persisted well into the recent and the contemporary periods. Presenting ample evidence, the article underlines the weight of history and the legacy of authoritarian mentality that promoted the use of authority, not liberty, in political problem-solving. The initial failure to abandon an authoritarian problem-solving approach proved fateful for the chances of the deepening of democracy in Turkey.

Surviving Troubled Times on the Borders of China: Sheng Shicai as a Successful Warlord in Xinjiang, 1931–34

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhi Ou
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Frontier Region ◽  
Chinese Military ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Early Republican

Abstract Ethnicity, religion, and geopolitics affect historians’ interpretations of the history of Xinjiang, a very chaotic frontier region of China that did not come fully under the control of the People’s Republic of China until recent decades. The case of Sheng Shicai, an early Republican Era Chinese military officer, shows how professional training and, most importantly, the ability to capitalize on emerging opportunities contributed to his military success in Xinjiang from 1931 to 1934. This paper analyzes the Republic of China’s government documents, Sheng and his acquaintances’ memoirs, newspaper articles, and other sources to examine how Sheng applied his military training and employed regional and foreign military forces to win battles in northern Xinjiang. Professional military training helped officers to utilize their resources efficiently and take advantage of their geopolitical situations. Amid numerous talented Chinese military officers, Sheng rose in rank and successfully secured Xinjiang as a part of the Republic of China even when Xinjiang’s geopolitics seemed extremely challenging. This study highlights the value of Sheng’s military prowess, something that the literature has not previously appreciated.

The Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities and its role in the appropriation of İstanbul’s diverse heritage as national heritage (1939–1953)

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 75-99
Author(s):  
Pınar Aykaç
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Significant Aspect ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
Turkish Nationalism ◽  
National Monuments ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Republic Of Turkey ◽  
The City

AbstractThis paper argues that the early Republican attempts to reintegrate the Ottoman past into nationalist narratives later found their reflections in discussions regarding the preservation of İstanbul’s diverse heritage, coinciding with the redefinition of Turkish nationalism in the 1940s, incorporating Islam and marking a departure from the foundation ideology of the Republic of Turkey. In 1939, the Republican authorities decided to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1953. The Commission for the Preservation of Antiquities (Muhafaza-ı Asar-ı Atika Encümeni)—the body responsible for the preservation of historic monuments in İstanbul—was tasked with conducting restoration and repair works for the celebrations. Although the celebrations did not receive much attention in the following years, the annual celebrations in the city have now become a significant aspect of present-day İstanbul, which glorify its Ottoman-Islamic past. By presenting its negotiations and contestations with other state actors in the context of these preparations, this paper explores the role of the Preservation Commission in appropriating the inherited remnants of İstanbul’s multifaceted past as “national monuments.”

Lithuania's Industry Role in the Curricula of Engineering Education in Mechanics Faculty at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU)

2006 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 621-624
Author(s):  
Mečislovas Mariūnas
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Acceptance Level ◽  
Bologna Declaration ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Individual Industry ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Government ◽  
The University

In the paper the industry role in the curricula of engineering education is examined. There are shown that the information obtained on industry developments trends, product export/import ratio as well as the level of investments injected into individual industry sub-sectors helps to make projections as to the number and profile of future professional staff; more specifically, as to the type of curriculum modules and the university acceptance level. Based on the information obtained from university graduates and managers from industrial enterprises as well as other authorities and summarized in an appropriate way, adequate corrections are introduced into the curriculum module without prejudice to regulations of the Government of the Republic Lithuania and to the provisions of the Bologna Declaration.

Operational manifestations of institutional dysfunction in post-apartheid South Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 998-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jai K. Clifford-Holmes ◽  
Carolyn G. Palmer ◽  
Chris J. de Wet ◽  
Jill H. Slinger
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Transdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Effective Water

At the centre of the water law reform process initiated by the first democratic government of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) lay the challenge of transforming away from apartheid water injustices. Reform culminated in the promulgation of new legislation, regarded internationally as ambitious and forward-thinking legislation reflective of the broad aims of integrated water resource management (IWRM). However, implementation of this legislation has been challenging. This paper analyses institutional dysfunction in water management in the Sundays River Valley Municipality (Eastern Cape Province, RSA). A transdisciplinary approach is taken in addressing the failure of national law and policy to enable the delivery of effective water services in post-apartheid RSA. A case study is used to explore interventions to promote effective water supply, locating these interventions and policies within the legislative structures and frameworks governing the water sector. We suggest that fine-grained institutional analysis together with learning from persistent iterative, adaptive practice, with principled goals intact, offers a pragmatic and achievable alternative to grand-scale policy change.

The Turkish Language Reform: A Catastrophic Success (review)

Language ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 896-897
Author(s):  
Mohammed Sawaie
Keyword(s):  
Language Reform ◽  
Turkish Language

Art and Power in Turkey: Culture, Aesthetics and Nationalism During the Single Party Era

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 91-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duygu Köksal
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Fine Arts ◽  
Turkish Republic ◽  
Cultural Policies ◽  
Plastic Arts ◽  
Political Studies ◽  
New Republic ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Early Republican ◽  
Shed Light

One prominent intellectual of the early Turkish Republic, İsmail Hakkı Baltacıoğlu, argued that the new Republic should be “a Republic of fine arts.” Indeed, the early Republican project in Turkey perceived culture and art as media through which the Republic could not only represent its achievements but also “create” itself. The present study focuses on the cultural policies and elite perceptions of culture during the single-party regime in Turkey. More specifically, it looks into the developments that took place in the plastic arts and in elite approaches towards aesthetics. This is done in order to shed light on young Turkey's cultural modernization. Examining the interaction between aesthetics and power, this discussion stands at the intersection of political studies and cultural history.

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