Non-formal education function of first sugar factories established in Turkey: Oral History Inqury

Abstract

This research aims to find the effects on informal public education of Uşak, Alpullu and Eskişehir sugar factories. As qualitative research, oral history method, literature and archive reviews were undertaken. Five in-depth interviews were taken and the archives of the personal photos, memoirs related to the topic were attained from the people who work/ed as the factory managers, employees and retired workers in these factories. Also, the factory and provincial public libraries of these cities were investigated elaborately. This research is to reveal the traces of the sugar factories in the foundation of modern Turkey and their informal educational effect on locals, changes in the socio-cultural life by the development of social structure and the role of sugar factories that were established in the first decade of the rebuplic. As a result it was founded that the sugar factories both changed the perspective of the cities for the music, sports and art on the social life and helped to give prosperity achieved in terms of economy for their workers, families and the locals since the day the factories had been established. Moreover, they helped to develop the sense of urbanity in their cities.