Abstract

AbstractOn the night of July 15, 2016, the Republic of Turkey experienced yet another military coup attempt. However, this attempt failed, mainly due to civilian protest and casualties. Their sacrifice, according to the Turkish state, led to the creation of a new national celebration in Turkey, the “Democracy and National Unity Day.” Following the growing interest of historians in the field of national celebrations, this paper examines the creation of this holiday. It argues that the AKP government used this new holiday to shape the Turkish collective national memory and to introduce a national celebration that does not revolve around the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who symbolizes the secular camp in Turkey, but rather around the Justice and Development Party government and its more traditional and religious ideology, in the guise of celebrating Turkish democracy.

Highlights

  • On the night of July 15, 2016, the Republic of Turkey experienced yet another military coup attempt

  • Following the growing interest of historians in the field of national celebrations, this paper examines the creation of this holiday

  • It argues that the AKP government used this new holiday to shape the Turkish collective national memory and to introduce a national celebration that does not revolve around the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who symbolizes the secular camp in Turkey, but rather around the Justice and Development Party government and its more traditional and religious ideology, in the guise of celebrating Turkish democracy

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Summary

Rites and celebrations

While Islam was always unofficially a part of many commemorative projects, the observance of July 15 marks the first time that a national holiday has been explicitly and deliberately “Islamized” by the state. The sermon praised the unity shown by the Turkish nation in its attempt to stop the coup while using religious language and referring to the importance of Islam in preventing the coup, strengthening the religious importance of commemorating the event: We all witnessed on July 15 that our glorious nation [millet] took to the streets upon the call of our statesmen to defend their own homeland, rights, law, free will, independence, and freedom with takbir on their lips, sala [prayer] in their ears, and the desire for martyrdom in their hearts. The Diyanet, as well as other official institutions, does not limit itself to traditional ways of shaping the public discourse More modern means such as the internet and social media are being used for the same purpose: short video clips, posters, photos, booklets, speeches, and even prayers are available on the official websites of the Diyanet and the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.. Education is one of the most crucial components for creating or promoting collective memory by celebrating or commemorating state holidays, myths, traditions, or memorials

Commemorating the holiday in school
Changing names
Conclusion
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