Representations of M. K. Atatürk in the Arabic Discourse and the Formation of the Collective Memory of the Arabs

Abstract

A review of the Arab publications on modern Turkey that have appeared since the 1970s and their examination with regard to the image of the founder of the Turkish republic, M. K. Atatürk (1881-1938), reveals a rather negative image and leads one to assume that this is the one and only image of Atatürk in Arab perception. The fact is, however, that it is by no means a static image of Atatürk. If the perceptions of Arab authors regarding Atatürk are embedded in the respective historical and political context, it becomes evident that these perceptions can be seen as the result of a process. Moreover, the content of the respective “perceptions” is obviously influenced by socio-political changes. My aim in this paper is to investigate the aspects of these perceptions as they appear in Arabic discourse. I would also like to highlight the various ways that they have been employed in the construction of the collective memory of the Arabs.