Debate In Turkey Research Articles

Headscarves at the Crossroads between Plural Narratives: Where is Turkey Moving Toward?

Abstract In a recent judgement, the ECJ held that a ban on employees wearing visible political, philosophical or religious signs in the workplace does not amount to direct discrimination under EU law. The Turkish government condemned such a ruling, as an expression of European Islamophobia. However, the issue of religious headscarves has been at the center of a harsh decades-long political and legal debate in Turkey, where it has symbolized the clash between tradition and modernity, religious and secular values. In the present article, the tensions underlying the multiple narratives of the Islamic headscarf will be analyzed starting from the polarization between two opposite views: Turkey as a secular State versus Turkey as a theocracy. The article will underline the need for a depolarization of the legal-political conflict between religion and public space, allowing women to build their autonomous understanding of the religious message and to self-define their identities in the public space.

Inflation aversion in Turkey

Inflation has been at the center of policy debates in Turkey since the 1970s. Although the country experienced a rapid disinflation period during the early 2000s, Turkish inflation has always remained high compared to other developing countries. Disinflationary policies require a long-run commitment of policymakers backed by public consensus and strong institutions. In this paper, we aim to understand the factors that shape the public attitudes of Turkish citizens towards inflation for the period between 2004 and 2020 using Eurobarometer data. We find that belonging to a vulnerable class increases the probability of being inflation averse, while favorable expectations for the future, being on the right of the political spectrum, and trust in politicians decrease inflation aversion.

An Evaluation on the General Framework of Master's Theses on 'Alevism' Produced in Theology Faculties

The issue of Alevism, in terms of its religious-social and political contexts, is one of the most topical issues in Turkey. Its historical roots, cultural heritage, and positioning in the religious sphere have led Alevism to be handled with intense sociological baggage from past to present. In addition, being at the center of politics, its social dimensions and social memory have added many different aspects to the subject. All these aspects can be counted among the main reasons why Alevism has become a subject that is sometimes tired of interpretation and analysis. Looking at the chronological background of the debate, it is noteworthy that interpretations of the historical origins of Alevism vary. Current approaches to the subject have brought about new terminologies and searches for Alevism in the process of modernization. Within the modern socio-political framework, different forms of discourse on the traditional structure of Alevism have diverged from the main issue as sub-issues and gained new contexts. In this study, among this diversity of approaches to Alevism, a general framework of postgraduate studies on "Alevis" and "Alevism" in the theology academy, an important field in determining the basic discussion framework of the subject in Turkey, has been revealed. The primary purpose of the study is to present a framework view of Alevis as a category that emerged as an important identity area on the axis of religion-culture and has not lost its topicality in the identity debates in Turkey; the intensity of being on the agenda in the Theology academy, the language thresholds that emerged at the point of focusing on the subject, and the dimensions of the fundamental problem that are related to the subject matter of the basic problem tried to be solved through postgraduate theses (master's degree). In this context, statistical data on the subject was obtained by scanning the master's theses on "Alevis" and "Alevism" in different disciplines in Turkish Theology between 2000 and 2022 and registered in the thesis database of YÖK. The searches were made within the framework of basic concepts such as 'Alevi, Alevis, Alevism, Bektashi, Bektashis, Bektashism, Tahtacı, Cem, Dede, Semah, Musahip, and Opening' and it was tried to reach all thesis documents registered in the system. Doctoral dissertations were excluded because they exceeded the limits of this study. The theses were not analyzed in terms of content, but only in terms of their "problematization of Alevism and problematization of the issue", which would allow for deepening the interpretation and evaluation of the statistical data. As a result of the study, it is noteworthy that there is a current interest in the issue of Alevism in the theology academy in Turkey, and the number of theses written in different disciplines on the subject has attracted attention. However, this interest is generally focused on the cultural inventory of the issue. It is understood that there is a need for more studies on how the issue finds a place in the functioning of daily life in terms of social typologies and identities. Indeed, considering the identity dimension of the Alevism issue and its topicality, it can be stated that these studies can be effective in producing a deep academic perspective on the issue. In addition, it has also been determined that this perspective can be functional in addressing the seemingly complex aspects of the issue in the social plan that need to be analyzed.

Electoral Consolidation Through Islamic Populism and Religious Grievance: The Case of Transformation of Hagia Sophia in Turkey

The transformation of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020 has been one of the major topics of public debate in Turkey. Based on the literature on populism and the role of emotions in politics, this paper analyzes the case of Hagia Sophia by suggesting a split from economy-based explanations of populism. It is argued that the case of the transformation of Hagia Sophia as a populist maneuver can be analyzed through historical context that shapes and affects the emotion of religious grievance in contemporary Turkey. This paper discusses how the AKP and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan operationalize the case of the transformation of Hagia Sophia through religious grievances as a populist discourse to establish electoral consolidation in the wake of two large-scale crises.

2017-2018 arasında Türkçe internet sitelerinde aşı eleştirisi: Tanımlayıcı bir analiz

Objective: This study aimed to quantify the content and design attributes of Turkish vaccine critical websites and list the arguments used between 2017 and 2018 when reportedly 23000 families refused childhood vaccines.
 
 Methods: Websites were screened by two researchers using Google, between October 30-November 23, 2017. Every researcher screened 30 results for every word query. Exclusion criteria were implemented based on Wolfe’s (2002) and Kata’s (2010) research. A third researcher acted as a referee and produced a final list on February 04, 2018. The websites were analyzed between April 2-August 28, 2018 according to the criteria developed in Kata’s study. The criteria contained 50 items under content and design headings. 
 
 Results: Most of the resultant 16 websites were not vaccine specific and transmitted already available information. The criteria searched were generally less frequent in Turkish websites than in English and French websites. Criticism of biomedicine, superiority of alternative medicine, sharing of personal stories and use of imagery had low presence. Commercialization was observed less and religious reasons were observed higher in Turkish websites. Websites that supported religious tenets were usually about halal food and used American anti-vaccine websites as resources. 
 
 Conclusion: Turkish vaccine critical websites referring to foreign resources were usually less developed than their foreign counterparts. Network analysis of vaccine critical websites would yield more in-depth knowledge of the relationship between them. Ministry of Health should invest more in the Web, specifically targeting its response according to the criteria available in vaccine critical websites

The veil as an object of right-wing populist politics: a comparative perspective of Turkey, Sweden, and France

ABSTRACT In this article, we comparatively analyse radical right-wing parties’ intervention into the veil debate in Turkey, Sweden, and France which are characterised by different understandings of legal and normative secularism. We explore the intersection of gender and religion in the dynamic formation of populist categories and how they can be mobilised differently along the vertical and the horizontal axes by the example of the veil. In all three countries we have analysed capitalise on gender, religiosity and secularity, and the veil is exploited in drawing boundaries between the People and non-People but also between the People and the Elites. In this way, the meanings attributed to the veil are used as a mechanism of exclusion and of drawing the boundaries through gendered narratives of who belongs to the People.

Dissecting Turkish inflation: theory, fact, and illusion

The policy debate in Turkey over the impact of interest rate on inflation concerns the question of what policymakers should do when faced with volatile and high inflation. Motivated by this discussion, we provide an empirical analysis by connecting the cost channel to the Phillips relation. Our findings prove the existence of the cost channel. However, other determinants of inflation —labor share of income, prices of imported inputs, and consumption goods —dominate the cost channel in Turkey.

The impact of agricultural input costs on food prices in Turkey: A case study

Food price inflation has been a significant subject of debate in Turkey since food prices soared in 2018. The study examines the linkage between agricultural input prices and food prices in Turkey by using quantitative method approaches with the monthly data spanning from 2015-M01 to 2020-M01. A co-integration analysis is performed using the autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL) bounds test approach and Maki co-integration test with structural breaks. Additionally, the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and canonical co-integrating regression (CCR) are applied to verify the results of the ARDL approach. The analysis demonstrates a significant, long-running relationship between agricultural input prices and food prices in Turkey. The long-run agricultural input price elasticities are found to be in the range of 1.30–1.36.

Metodolojik Milliyetçiliğin Eleştirisi

Theories of nationalism have become questionable in their own contexts with increasing interest in critical theory in sociology. Particulalry, the methods and principles of the methodological nationalism approach called as fundamentalist are questioned. The reason for the questioning of methodological nationalism is mainly attributed to its positivist understanding, universalist view of the nation and history and Eurocentric expansionist understanding. A common problem at this point of criticism is connected to the disregard of human action and social culture. The main theme of this study is the issues that methodological nationalism is in a dilemma due to its epistemological and ontological assumptions. By doing this, particular concepts of two areas will be used: constructivist theory and dialectical integrity. In this context, the principles of a new method will be discussed in order to overcome the shortcomings of methodological nationalism. The principles of the proposed method will be exemplified in the context of multiculturalism which is the subject of debate in Turkey and imagination of culture and society presented by identity politics. Therefore, the aim of this study is to show how a reading of nationalism based on historical sociology and constructivist sensibility can pave the way for new perspectives rather than a deconstruction of theories of nationalism.

Nuclear energy debate in Turkey: Stakeholders, policy alternatives, and governance issues

For the last six decades, Turkish governments have been advocating the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) on the grounds that it is necessary for the development of the country, that the country needs nuclear energy for economic growth, and more importantly, that an NPP would mark a milestone in Turkey's journey of modernisation. However, national and local opposition has also existed from the beginning on. The first attempts to build an NPP in late 1970s were met with an immediate reaction from the civil society, concerned about potential problems such as NPP's impact on environment and health, waste management, and risk of nuclear accidents, giving rise to a long-standing conflict that is yet to be settled. In order to better understand Turkey's previous and current motivations to build a nuclear power plant, this study will first recount the country's history of nuclear power followed by a discourse analysis using a multidimensional environmental justice framework, which will investigate different stakeholders' views and perceptions, and the alternative policies proposed by them. The discourse analysis built on the historical narrative is helpful in identifying sources of conflicts between stakeholders, and in presenting these conflicts in a transparent and comprehensible manner.

Rethinking Idris-i Bidlisi: An Iranian Bureaucrat and Historian between the Shah and the Sultan

A bureaucrat and historian of Iranian origin, Idris-i Bidlisi (b. Ray/Iran 1457–d. Istanbul 1520), is undoubtedly one of the most original and important intellectual figures in the Ottoman‒Iranian borderland in the sixteenth century. He lived in a very turbulent period and established different relationships with Iranian and Ottoman dynasties at the end of the fifteenth century and at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He and his works have been the focus of long-standing historical debates in Turkey that have continued to the present day. Until now, most modern scholarly works on Bidlisi have failed to provide a proper, in-depth textual and historical analysis. As a result, such modern works have come to present a skewed, romanticized image of Bidlisi, largely detached from the nature and dynamics of the historical context in which Bidlisi lived and evolved as an intellectual and writer. This paper provides a realistic appraisal of Bidlisi and discusses the shortcomings of modern historiography on him. By looking at Bidlisi and his corpus, and more specifically at the ways in which the latter was shaped by Bidlisi’s patronage relationships, the paper aims to open up a window into Bidlisi’s evolving mindset and worldview. In other words, through an in-depth analysis of his corpus and new archival sources the paper strives to unveil the intellectual life and career of an Iranian bureaucrat and historian positioned between Ottoman‒Iranian borderland and provide a glimpse into the nature of patronage in the sixteenth century.

Erken Çocukluk Dönemi Din Eğitimi Yaklaşımları Üzerine Karşılaştırmalı Bir Analiz

Erken çocukluk döneminde din ve ahlak eğitimi ile ilgili uygulamalar ülkemizde ve dünyada çeşitli açılardan tartışılmaktadır. Söz konusu tartışmaların odağında hem bu tür bir eğitimin imkânı hem de içeriği yer almaktadır. Farklı ülkelerde uzun yıllardır uygulanmakta olan erken çocukluk dönemi din eğitimi yaklaşımlarının etki alanlarını ve uygulama sonuçlarını ortaya koymanın bu tartışmalara farklı bir bakış açısı kazandırması kaçınılmazdır. Bu bağlamda makalenin amacı dünyada uygulanmakta olan The Good Shepherd, The Godly Play, The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf yaklaşımının ahlak eğitimi ile ilgili boyutunu, gelişim özellikleri, din eğitimi yaklaşımları, öğrenme ortamları, yöntem, materyal, yaş, içerik ve değerlendirme açılarından karşılaştırmaktır. Erken çocuklukta din eğitimi teorilerini kıyaslamayı amaçlayan bu makale doküman incelemesi yöntemiyle hazırlanmıştır. Yaklaşımlar incelendiğinde; tamamının oyun ve eğitsel oyuncakları öğretimin merkezine alarak kişilerarası iletişim, doğa ve toplum bilinci gibi konulara odaklandıkları görülmektedir. Godly Play ve The Good Shepherd yöntemleri belli bir dine ait temel hikaye ve özellikleri aktarmaları bakımından dini öğrenme yaklaşımına uygunken; The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf yaklaşımları ise herhangi bir dini öğretiyi benimsememeleri yönüyle dinden öğrenme yaklaşımına uygun gibi görünmektedir. Godly Play ve The Good Shepherd yöntemlerinde materyal ve yöntemlerin Montessori yaklaşımına uygun olarak belirlendiği görülürken, The Gift to the Child ve Waldorf herhangi bir yaklaşıma bağlılık göstermez.

Initial Development and Validation of the Multilingual Education Scale

Applicability of multilingual education, which is applied in many countries, has increasingly proficiency and learning been a question of debate in Turkey because of the inclusion of living languages and dialects lessons into educational institutions. The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable Likert-type scale to determine the perception of multilingual education of teachers with the inclusion of living languages and dialects lesson into curricula. For this purpose, a study was conducted with teachers in Turkey. After the instrument was constructed based on the literature, field experts evaluated it, and revisions were made to clarify the language and the design. Following this process, a pilot study was conducted among 150 teachers, resulting in a scale comprising 28 items after the alterations were made. Then, the instrument was sent to 898 teachers utilizing a snowball technique. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to determine the validity of the scale. Factor analysis showed that the scale had a single factor explaining 72.4% of the total variance. The scale’s KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) was .974; and the Barlett test was 21828.8. For the sake of validity and reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient for the scale (content validity, construct validity, distinctiveness validity, internal consistency and reliability) was determined as 0.97. Thus, the conclusion can be made that the scale is applicable and reliable enough for future development.

When elites polarize over polarization: Framing the polarization debate in Turkey – RETRACTED

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The Destruction of the Monument to Humanity: Historical Conflict and Monumentalization

Abstract The destruction of the Monument to Humanity caused a heated debate in Turkey about the relationship between political power and artistic freedom. However, parties in this debate failed, to a great extent, to address the genocidal past the monument had evoked, let alone to take responsibility for the denial of that past in Turkey.

The Abortion Debate and Profeminist Coalition Politics in Contemporary Turkey

AbstractThis article presents a qualitative analysis of profeminist Islamic women public figures’ discourses in the abortion debate in Turkey in 2012. The aim is to reveal the possibilities and limitations of achieving an intersectional and egalitarian profeminist collaboration on the Islamic-secular axis in contemporary Turkey. Drawing on recent feminist scholarship on coalition politics, the article exposes the fluctuations of meaning and the shifting frames of reference in these women's narratives and relates this hybrid, dynamic narrative quality to profeminist Islamic women's unique social location. It also elaborates on the blockage points in these narratives that hinder coalitional ways of thinking. Within this frame, this article suggests that in a social and political context that has witnessed a striking upsurge of antifeminist gender politics in the last decade, the building of coalitional profeminist politics beyond the Islamic-secular divide can be facilitated by shifting the focus from the apparently irreconcilable character of ideological positionings and lived experiences toward coalitional rhetorical strategies and intermediary narrative lines in profeminist subjects’ accounts.

When elites polarize over polarization: Framing the polarization debate in Turkey

AbstractThis article aims to explore the views of the Turkish elite on the state of polarization in Turkey. By identifying four political frames—namely, harmony, continuity/decline, conspiracy, and conflict—that selected Turkish political and civil society elites use in discussing the phenomenon of polarization in the country through their contributions to a workshop and in-depth qualitative interviews, the article finds that there is a considerable degree of polarization among the Turkish elite regarding their views on the presence of polarization in Turkey. Moreover, this overlaps with the divide between the government and the opposition in the country. An analysis of the justificatory arguments employed in constituting the aforementioned frames shows that, while those elites who deny the existence of polarization seek its absence in essentialist characteristics of society, in reductionist comparisons with history, or in internal/external enemies, those who acknowledge polarization’s presence look for its roots in political and institutional factors and processes. The article highlights how, given the denial of polarization by the pro-government elite and the substantial gap between the two camps’ justificatory narratives, the currently reported high rates of polarization in Turkey can, at best, be expected to remain as is in the near future, barring a radical change in political constellations.

When elites polarize over polarization: Framing the polarization debate in Turkey – RETRACTED

AbstractThis article aims to explore the views of the Turkish elite on the state of polarization in Turkey. By identifying four political frames—namely, harmony, continuity/decline, conspiracy, and conflict—that selected Turkish political and civil society elites use in discussing the phenomenon of polarization in the country through their contributions to a workshop and in-depth qualitative interviews, the article finds that there is a considerable degree of polarization among the Turkish elite regarding their views on the presence of polarization in Turkey. Moreover, this overlaps with the divide between the government and the opposition in the country. An analysis of the justificatory arguments employed in constituting the aforementioned frames shows that, while those elites who deny the existence of polarization seek its absence in essentialist characteristics of society, in reductionist comparisons with history, or in internal/external enemies, those who acknowledge polarization’s presence look for its roots in political and institutional factors and processes. The article highlights how, given the denial of polarization by the pro-government elite and the substantial gap between the two camps’ justificatory narratives, the currently reported high rates of polarization in Turkey can, at best, be expected to remain as is in the near future, barring a radical change in political constellations.

Constitutional Debate in Turkey

Constitutional Debate in Turkey

Fatma Aliye Hanım: Gender Debates in Turkey

Abstract This essay explores the late nineteenth and early twentieth Century gender debates in the late Ottoman Empire, and the early Republic of Turkey with a focus on Fatma Aliye’s presence in the public space, as the first Ottoman woman philosopher, novelist, and public intellectual. I choose to concentrate on her because of the important stakes of the gender debates of that period, and the ways in which they are echoed in the present can be effectively discussed by reflecting on the ways in which Fatma Aliye is read, presented, and received. In the first part of this paper, I talk about Fatma Aliye’s life and experience of her gender as a woman, and point to her key interests as a writer and philosopher. In the second part, I situate her in the political history of feminism during the Rearrangement Period (Tanzimat), the Second Constitutional Era (II. Meşrutiyet), and the institution of the modern Republic of Turkey. Lastly, in the third part, I discuss the diverse ways in which she is interpreted in contemporary Turkey. I explore the political impact of the reception of Fatma Aliye as an intellectual figure on the current gender debates in Turkey.