Turkey Today Research Articles

Primary school science course within scope of the educational programs implemented in Turkey

In this study, educational programs that have been used from past to present were examined chronologically to better analyze the nature of the current Science program in primary schools in Turkey. In this research, in which the document analysis method was preferred among the qualitative research methods, official documents published by the Ministry of National Education and its affiliates were used as the data source. The obtained documents were analyzed by content analysis method. The Science course programs used in the past in the country were discussed from a multidimensional perspective. The distinctive features and orientations that have appeared in the programs over the years have been examined in line with the nature of time. As a result of the research, it is seen that the Science program in Turkey today focuses on the skills of individuals to solve daily life problems in their environment to adapt to the 21st century people in parallel with the developments in science education in the world.

Rogers Brubaker. Fransa ve Almanya’da Vatandaşlık ve Ulus Bilinci, Çevirmen: Ezgi Su Dağabak, GAV Perspektif Yayınları, 2022, s. 330, 120 TL, ISBN 9786057387714

Rogers Brubaker’in kitabı, Fransa ve Almanya’da Vatandaşlık ve Ulus Bilinci, 1992 yılında Harvard Üniversitesi yayınlarından çıkmıştır. Yazar, Kaliforniya Üniversitesi, Los Angeles’de seçkin bir sosyoloji profesörüdür. Adı geçen; sosyal teori, göç, vatandaşlık, ulus ve etnisite ile ilgili çalışmalarıyla tanınmaktadır. Bu eser, sonradan milliyetçilik üzerine yazacağı kitabın da kilometre taşı olan, vatandaşlık ile ilgili çalışmalarının ilk eseridir.

Predicting the Potential Distribution Area of the Platanus orientalis L. in Turkey Today and in the Future

Climate conditions throughout the world clearly affect every aspect of the lives of plants, animals, and humans. Platanus orientalis L. (Oriental plane) is an important tree species for the economy, culture, and forest ecosystems. Recent studies indicate that the climatic conditions significantly affect the distribution areas of Platanus orientalis L. This study aims to model the potential geographical distribution of Platanus orientalis L., which has a natural distribution in Turkey, today and in the future. The geographical distribution of Platanus orientalis L. is under pressure from human activities such as intensive agricultural production, changes in riverbanks, and increased urban development and road construction, and its population is in serious decline. The study produced prediction models using presence data belonging to the species, bio-climatic variables and altitude, and the distributions of the species were determined according to two separate global climate change scenarios. The potential distribution areas of Platanus orientalis L. for the periods 2041–2060 and 2081–2100 under the SSP5 4.5 and SSP5 8.5 scenarios were modelled using MaxEnt 3.4.1. The distribution area of the species in Turkey will be negatively affected by climatic changes due to relatively medium and high increases in the temperature. Platanus orientalis L., which is also found in the Mediterranean basin, the region subject to the most intensive climate changes, will face the risk of extinction unless it is able to adapt to these changes. Results on the current and future potential distributions of Platanus orientalis L. in Turkey provide crucial insights into species’ response to climate change, particularly to increases in temperature. Extent and locations of predicted suitable and unchanged areas for the distribution of Platanus orientalis L. can be used for developing strategies in conservation, management, monitoring, and cultivation of Platanus orientalis L. in the face of climate change.

The Position of Municipal Economic Enterprises Against Stamp Duty

Günümüzde Türkiye’de özelleştirmeler ile kamu iktisadi teşebbüslerinin sayısı azalmış olsa da belediyeler tarafından kurulan iktisadi teşebbüsler sürekli artış göstermektedir. Belediyeler tarafından kurulan ve sermayeleri de belediyeler tarafından sağlanan bu kuruluşlar çok sayıda personel çalıştırmakta ve önemli bir iktisadi işlem hacmi gerçekleştirmektedir. Damga vergisi hukuki muameleler için düzenlenen kâğıtlar nedeniyle gündeme gelen bir hukuki muamele vergisidir. Damga Vergisi Kanunu’nda belediyelerin de içinde yer aldığı resmi daireler bu vergiden muaf kılınmış ve bunlar ile kişiler arasından düzenlenecek kâğıtların damga vergisinin işlemin diğer tarafı olan kişilerce ödeneceği düzenlenmiştir. Belediye iktisadi teşebbüslerinin de bu muafiyet kapsamında bulunup bulunmadığı ile bunların gerçekleştirdikleri iktisadi muamelelere dair kâğıtların damga vergisinin kim tarafından ödeneceği zaman zaman uygulamada ve yargı kararlarında tartışma konusu olmaktadır. Bu çalışma belediye iktisadi teşebbüslerinin damga vergisi karşısındaki konumunu açıklamaya çalışmaktadır.

İÇ GÜVENLİKTE YER ALTI, TÜNEL VE MAĞARA OPERASYONLARI İLE YÖNETİMİ

Underground, tunnels and caves are places that are frequently used by terrorists, organized crime organizations and smugglers in cities, rural areas and borders of countries. Especially in recent years, law enforcement's use of reconnaissance and surveillance technologies such as unmanned aerial and land vehicles has increased the desire of organizations to use underground, tunnels and cave environments as an asymmetric advantage. Underground, tunnels and caves are cavities that are either spontaneously formed in nature or built with human resources, which are used for the purpose of maintaining security or life. The homogeneity of the physical environments of these places makes it meaningful to mention underground, tunnels and caves together. Securitization of these environments in order to prevent crime and terrorist activities has become a priority internal security approach for law enforcement. Within the scope of the study, firstly, the importance of underground, tunnels and caves in terms of internal security was investigated. Subsequently, the conditions affecting the underground, tunnel and cave operations were determined. Finally, answers were sought to the questions of how underground, tunnel and cave operations were carried out and managed. The purpose of this study is to define the management method in underground, tunnel and cave operations in terms of internal security in Turkey today. The study was carried out on a theoretical basis by making a literature review. As a result of the study, it was emphasized that a separate technology should be used for each of the exploration and surveillance, cover and protection, firepower and communication needs in underground, tunnel and cave operations. Subsequently, it has been decided that the operation units should manage their operations in accordance with the planning, preparation, execution and evaluation phases.

DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING FROM YESTERDAY TO TODAY

Nurses in health services; It is reported that if nursing services are provided in line with accessible targets and implementation plans, they will make great contributions to increasing occupational health. In this direction, occupational health nursing is a branch of public health nursing in which nursing knowledge and skills are used professionally in the working environment as an important team member of occupational health and safety. He is the key person working professionally in order to protect and improve health in the developing and changing working environment. Today, the exact number of occupational health nurses is not known, and their active duties include; employment examinations, periodic examinations, chronic diseases, work accidents, emergency intervention in occupational diseases and health promotion practices are included. This field of study includes nursing practices using public health theories and principles. Occupational health nursing in the world and in Turkey today; Various standards related to education and application areas have been determined. However, the changing and expanding regulations show differences. In this context, the review has been prepared to criticize the current situation, education and legal dimension of occupational health nursing and to inform occupational health nurses and nursing students.

The Study of Developing and Validating the Union Bias Scale

Observation of different levels and types of organizational problems, such as school principals and teachers suing each other and conflicts between teachers, caused by union bias in schools in Turkey today, is the starting point of this study. This study, therefore, aimed to develop and validate a scale that helps determine union bias in schools. Participants of the study included teachers being a union member and working at a primary, middle or high school in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years in Düzce, Turkey. During the data analysis, firstly, the first data set was examined in terms of the assumptions of the factor analysis and then Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed on the second data set. Convergent validity of the scale was examined with item load values, mean-variance, and composite reliability coefficients. Discriminant validity was examined by the Fornell-Lacker criteria. Also, measurement invariance in gender groups was examined. The Cronbach Alpha and combined reliability coefficients were calculated to determine the scale's reliability. The Union Bias scale consists of 27 items and six dimensions. The explained total variance was 64%. As a result of the first and second order confirmatory factor analyses, it was revealed that the six-dimensional structure predicted Union Bias and the scale’s structure did not differ in gender groups. The Cronbach's alpha value was .90 and the composite reliability was .96. As a result, the structure of the Union Bias Scale was concluded to be valid and reliable.

Religious education in Turkey in the mirror of Europeanization

ABSTRACT Taking religious education as an important indicator in evaluating religious freedom in a country, this paper focuses on the religion courses in Turkey in order to evaluate Europeanisation and religious freedom in the country. The EU Commission’s recent progress reports indicated that the conduct of religious courses in Turkey is incompatible with EU norms. Although important legal arrangements have been made in accordance with the adoption of minority rights in Turkey, it seems more difficult for change to happen in an ideological issue such as education. As religious freedom is an important value for the European Union, this paper aims to explore the impact of Europeanisation on the state of religious education in Turkey and the extent of Turkey’s compliance with the European norms in a highly debated area like religious education. It also aims, in a broader sense, to shed a light on the place of religion in the national identity of Turkey today.

Digital Capitalism and Coal Mine Workers

One hundred and seventy-five years ago, in his book titled The Condition of the Working Class in England, Engels wrote about the ways in which the mine workers were exploited within the capitalist system. Classical economists believed that with the improvements in technology, capitalism would create egalitarian employment opportunities for everyone. In their opinion, the coal which served as a catalyser for the classical modernization had no place in the age of digital technology. However nowadays, especially in various developing countries such as Turkey, in the production of coal mines, the existing working conditions are the same as the ones that were applicable one hundred and seventy years ago and the exploitation of the labour of the workers continues. Notwithstanding, digital technologies serve for the control of capitalist production instead of the wellbeing of the workers. Coal has always had an important role in the historical continuity and discontinuity periods of capitalism. Considering the unbreakable link between the exploitation of nature and capitalist accumulation of capital, giving up coal and switching to renewable energy sources does not seem possible. The dialectical link between technology consumption and technology production is also one of the most important reasons for coal production to continue. This article argues that in Turkey today, the technology used in coal mine craft prioritises the control of labour rather than prioritizing the working comfort of the mine workers.

AKADEMİSYEN GÖRÜŞLERİ DOĞRULTUSUNDA SINIFLANDIRILAN MÜZİK EĞİTİMİ LİSANSÜSTÜ DERSLERİNE YÖNELİK BÜTÜNLEŞİK BİR YAPI MODELİ ÖRNEĞİ

In Turkey today, postgraduate programs include 10 doctorate and 17 master’s programs in the music education field. Among these programs, there is variety in terms of elements like AKTS, credit, different lessons with similar content, mandatory or elective lessons. The aim of the study is the classify and analyze the postgraduate music education programs in Turkey in line with the views of academics to recommend a holistic structural model for the postgraduate education process. The research has descriptive qualities with opinions from 71 lecturers in relevant departments used for data collection. Data collected with semi-structured interview forms were analyzed with content analysis. The research results identified that programs contained many lessons with similar names and contents, that these lessons need to be simplified, and that standards should be used for targets between programs in different universities. The study recommends that the “Music Education Postgraduate Programs” enter a restructuring process, that lessons in programs be classified according to area determined by aims, outcomes and content, and that a structure be created where students have to take at least one lesson from each area.

NATO’s inherent dilemma: strategic imperatives vs. value foundations

ABSTRACT It has been clear for several years now that what NATO purports to stand for and what certain member states practice, do not fully align. From the beginning in 1949, when treaty values and strategic imperatives have been conflicted, the strategic imperatives have almost always, albeit temporarily on an “exceptional” basis, taken precedence over the values. While not new, these tensions today are greater than at any time in NATO’s history. In our view, they could become an existential threat. We use a case study from NATO’s history to examine the case of Turkey today.

Fear, Superiority, Self-Identification and Rejection: Turks’ Different Attitudes to Europe since the Late Ottoman Era

ABSTRACT This contribution identifies four Turkish attitudes towards Europe from the late nineteenth century onwards: self-identification with Europe, fear of Europe, superiority over Europe and becoming local/national which implies a rejection of Europe. It then links these four attitudes to four types of forgetting the Ottoman past. The main argument is that the peculiar rise of neo-Ottomanism in Turkey today is evidence of a conservative trauma that follows the fourth type of forgetting—a painful and permanent trauma where the conservative cannot achieve closure with the past. The current Turkish government’s use of neo-Ottomanism utilizes the superiority over Europe and becoming local/national attitudes especially and attempts to maintain an anachronistic identity as the conservatives in Turkey fail to achieve closure with the Ottoman past.

The Rise of Islamist Fatwas in Erdogan’s Turkey

This chapter explains the main component of AKP’s composite ideology, Islamism, and analyses how the AKP changed its rhetoric and policies after it consolidated its power. Then it looks at the Islamist turn in schools, the mosque and foreign policy. The school and the mosque are the two main institutions that every government in Turkey, since the foundation of the republic, has used to socially engineer the people. The AKP, like others, is using these institutions to socially engineer their ‘acceptable citizen’, a citizen that votes for the AKP, believes its conspiracy theories, and accepts any justification for their corruption, violation of human rights, and authoritarian turn. Unlike other governments, the AKP does not leave any opponent unpunished, long-standing traditional and secular schools have been closed or their system changed, private businesses have been taken over, the highest number of journalists imprisoned, and the military all but destroyed. These were done all in the name of ‘national will’ and the Erdoganist-Islamist idea of ‘uniting the Ummah under Erdogan’s Turkey’. Focusing on the fatwas issued by pro-AKP religious preachers, this study unveils the ideas the AKP uses to justify what is happening in Turkey today: the Islamist populist turn, the justification of corruption, the demonization and securitisation of AKP’s opponents, and the top-down social engineering of society along Islamist lines. This study also offers preliminary findings on the impact that these fatwas have had on domestic and diaspora Turks, and how the justification of the government’s wrongdoings through fatwas have affected the people, including leading to increasing radicalism.

Elementary school science teachers’ responses to problem scenarios related to teaching sexuality-related topics

ABSTRACT As the school National Science Curriculum in Turkey includes topics such as human reproduction, hormonal growth and adolescent health, elementary school science teachers (ESTs) are required to teach sexuality-related topics to their students. However, studies have shown that teachers in Turkey, like their counterparts in many other countries, have little or no information about how to approach such matters and feel constrained from talking about sexuality in the classroom because sexuality has traditionally been perceived as a taboo. Informed by Foucault’s analysis of sexuality and power, this study examined how five ESTs responded to problem scenarios related to teaching and discussing sexuality-related topics in the classroom. Findings suggest that while ESTs did discuss, directly or indirectly, sexuality-related topics and issues in their classrooms, their pedagogical strategies resonated with patriarchal discourses and were influenced by a fear of the serious consequences they might face by troubling the social norms and taboos currently surrounding sexuality in Turkey today.

Certified translations: A general overview on sworn translation in Turkey and sworn/ certified translation procedures around the world

Çevirisi yapılan bir belgenin doğruluğunun, gerçekliğinin ve güvenilirliğinin tasdik edilmesinin gerekli olduğu durumlarda, çeviriye resmiyet kazandırılması gerekir. Çevirilerin resmi olarak onaylanması, “yeminli/tasdikli çeviri” olarak adlandırılan çeviri alanını oluşturur. “Yeminli/tasdikli çeviri” iki temel kavramı barındırır: Bir evrakı doğru, gerçek ve güvenilir bir biçimde çevirebilecek olan çevirmenlerin belirlenmesi ve bu çevirmenleri belirlemek üzere yetkilendirilen mercii. Dünyanın farklı ülkelerinde, ülkelerin adalet sistemlerindeki işleyiş ve düzenlemelere bağlı olarak, çevirilere resmiyet kazandırılmasına yönelik çeşitli uygulamalar yer alır. Genellikle yeminli/tasdikli çeviri yapacak çevirmenler bir devlet kurumu veya bir çevirmen meslek örgütü tarafından belirlenir ve temel değerlendirme ölçütü yaygın olarak adayın çeviri ve dil becerisini ölçen bir sınavdır. Ülkemizde ise yeminli çevirmenler Noterlik Kanunu Yönetmeliği’nin ilgili maddesi uyarınca noterlerin yemin zaptı düzenlemesi ile yetkilendirilir. Ancak çevirinin resmiyet kazanması için yeminli çevirmenin tasdiki yeterli olmayabilir, genellikle evrakın noter tarafından da onaylanması gerekmektedir. Yeminli çevirmenlerin noterlik dairelerinde çalıştığı 1970’li yıllardaki çeviri faaliyetlerine göre düzenlenen bu yönetmeliğin bugünün değişen koşullarında halen uygulanıyor olması hem yeminli çeviri alanında çalışan çevirmenler hem de çevirmenlik mesleği açısından olumsuz bir tablo oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışma, ülkemizdeki noter-yeminli çeviri/çevirmen ilişkisine tarihsel bir perspektiften bakarak günümüzde noterlerin yeminli çeviri alanında yetkilendirme mekanizması olmasının neden uygun olmadığını ve bu uygulamanın olumsuz taraflarını farklı ülkelerdeki yeminli/tasdikli çeviri uygulamaları ile karşılaştırarak ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca çalışmada, yeminli çeviri konusunda yaşanan olumsuzlukların düzeltilebilmesi ve çevirmenlik mesleği açısından daha doğru bir yetkilendirme sistemi oluşturulabilmesi için yapılabileceklere de yer verilmiştir.

Anlatılamamış Fedakarlık Hikayeleri: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin İlk Yılları (1920-1926)

There are two versions of history in Turkey today: the official and the unofficial. Available material in English on Turkish history and politics reflect mostly Orientalist and official points of views. The official version appears not only to contradict much of the existing evidence but also to reinforce misinterpretations of the Republican era. Here is an attempt, albeit a modest one, to present the unofficial version of history through the profiles of people who took part in the War of Independence between 1919 and 1923. Even though they played a dynamic role during the turbulent period of Turkish history - giving voice to the beliefs and sentiments of the static majority - they were condemned to death. Their strength of character and conviction imbued with their influence over the masses was an explosive cocktail which struck terror in the hearts of the new ruling elite. The rise of secular Turkey from the funeral pyre of the Ottomans and the resulting transformation of Turkish society occurred against a background of chaos and despair. The value system and a way of life embodying a certain set of beliefs and ethics which the people had chosen for themselves were discarded by the new guardians of the State. And anyone who disagreed with the prescription for this new life was a disposable item.

The Influence of Media on Students’ Views Regarding Refugeehood in Turkey: A Phenomenological Study of Seventh-Grade Students

In Turkey today, one of the most frequently mentioned issues in the media is the influx of refugees, mostly from Syria. While most refugees are attempting to reach Europe by crossing through Turkey illegally, some consider Turkey an asylum center. This study used a phenomenological approach and qualitative experiment to determine how the phenomenon of refugeehood discussed in the media in Turkey affects children’s views on the issue. The sample was determined using the convenience sampling method, and 31 seventh-grade students (18 girls and 13 boys, all aged 14 years old) were selected. “Having previously met refugees” was used as a basic criterion in the selection of students, while classroom activities, letters, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Descriptive and content analyses revealed that there were both positive and negative changes in students’ views regarding refugees, depending on the content of the news in the media, which was an important factor in influencing these changes.

Islamist Turn in Turkey, State Transnationalism and Transnational Islamist Unofficial Law

Turkey is currently going through a period of radical change; where a composite ideology of Islamist populism, nationalism, and authoritarianism is being used by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The AKP has increasingly resorted to using the mosque (through the Diyanet) and the schools (Imam Hatip schools, national curriculum, and Islamist educational foundations) to Islamize society and raise a generation of Islamists; the kind of desired citizens they envision will characterise the new regime. This chapter argues that the AKP has been actively pursuing strategies of transnational Islamist populism and heavily resorting to state transnationalism with the intention of exporting their composite ideology to Turkish diasporas throughout the world. Several valuable academic works have analysed the Islamist usage of the mosque, the school, and the political discourse; domestically and in foreign policy. However, unofficial Islamist fatwas and Islamist legal narrative constructions of the AKP have not been studied. In addition to examining the Islamist legal perspective, this chapter will also briefly look at the potential influence of this Islamist socio-legal phenomenon on Turkey’s diasporas in the West. By focusing on the fatwas issued by pro-AKP religious preachers, this study unveils the ideas the AKP uses to justify Islamist behaviour in Turkey today: the Islamist populist turn, the justification of corruption, the demonization and securitisation of AKP’s opponents, and the topdown social engineering of society along Islamist lines. This study also offers preliminary findings on the impact that these fatwas have had on domestic Turks and Turks of the diaspora, and how the justification of the government’s wrongdoings through fatwas have affected Turkish people, including leading to an increase of radicalism.

Caferiliğin Türkiye’de Modern Bir Kimlik Olarak Kurumsallaşması

In this study, the creation of identity and institutionalization processes of the Ja’faris living in Turkeyare discussed in the context of social change in Turkey. Firstly, the historical process of Jafarismand its position in the Turkish society were examined. The effects of urbanization on the institutionalizationand identity building of Jafarism were investigated. Because social transformations andchanges taking place in Turkey with urbanization and modernization in the last century have led tothe emergence of new religious, ethnic and political identities in the country and to the process ofinstitutionalization.In this study, qualitative research techniques such as documentation, interview and direct observationtechniques were used. The migration processes of Ja’faris living in Turkey were examined utilizingthe Ottoman archive documents. To assess the situation of Ja’faris, living in Turkey today, is made ofinterviews with leaders and members of the Ja’farism. In addition, observations were made in placesof worship and research was conducted by participating in their some rituals.When the obtained data were evaluated, in the process of internal migration, that experienced in Turkey,it is seen that the Ja’faris began to settle in large cities. Because of, has been seen that, Ja’farismin Turkey has been institutionalized in parallel to the urbanization and modernization processes inthe Turkish society. This institutionalization was the determining factor in shaping the identity ofJa’farism. However, it has been observed that the identity of the Ja’farism in Turkey is not homogeneousbut it has diversity. In addition, it was determined that the mosque played a central role in theinstitutionalization of Ja’farism and the ashura ceremonies that performed in Muharram constitute anexample of institutionalization in the modern sense. The problems and demands of Ja’faris living inTurkey, are also included in the study.

Exile and Plurality in Neoliberal Times

Today thousands of academics from Turkey, along with others from Syria, Iran, and Egypt are deserting their homeland in search of intellectual refuge in Western countries. These exiled academics have been attempting to practice diverse forms of teaching and researching, both in Turkey and in exile. We argue that the struggles of oppositional academics inside and outside Turkey today offer insight into the nature of the global crisis in neoliberal academia based on precarious working conditions of knowledge producers and commodification of education. Some of the answers to this crisis may lie, as they did in the 1930s and 1940s, in the hands of those same persecuted scholars who bring with them academic perspectives forged in oppressive regimes. In a short period of time Academics for Peace accomplished two goals. They have resisted through peaceful, anti-violent civil disobedience the political pressure brought to bear upon them by the increasingly authoritarian Turkish government, daring to demand and then create a new, more plural public Turkish space. Second, they have dared, even in the face of academic and civic precariousness, to take a critical stance toward the marketization and hierarchization of Turkish and European universities and in response to forge new autonomous ways of teaching and researching in their home and host countries. An approach that goes beyond humanitarianizing the sup-port given to dissident academics has the potential to pluralize academy.