A Hundred Years of Republican Turkey: A History in a Hundred Fragments

On October 29, 2023, the Republic of Turkey will celebrate its centennial. The foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 marks the catastrophic, yet triumphant, foundation of a new nation-state as the successor of the defeated and partitioned Ottoman Empire. Until today, Turkey remains to be the center of attention due to its continued state of crisis and its position between Europe and the Middle East. In the 100 years of its history, Turkey went through multiple political and social transformations. The Kemalist origins in the Interwar years were marked by an authoritarian nation-state building in a post-imperial society with cultural reforms and modernization projects which radically constructed a new national identity and a secular ethos. The tumultuous decades during the Cold War opened a more democratic and culturally diverse field, but rapid socio-economic developments and ideological radicalization contributed to political instability, which in return legitimized Turkey's endemic military tutelage over civilian-democratic affairs. While post-Cold War Turkey suffered from corruption and intensified identity politics, the brief moment of political stability and opening as well as the economic growth reached in the 2000s proved to be a false promise under the Justice and Development Party. Contemporary Turkey under the President Recep Tayyip Erdo.an is suffering from multiple problems resulting from the authoritarian policies of the government, Muslim-conservative vulgar populism, and an aggressive foreign policy that feeds into Muslim-Turkish nationalism at home. This volume is the first of its kind in offering a history of hundred years of Republican history through expert introductions to 100 sources on various themes of politics, economy, society, culture, gender, and arts. In doing so, this project will not only tell a truly multi-facetted history under the guidance of prominent and promising scholars of Turkish Studies, but will also allow its readers to hear voices and see images of a fascinating Republican past. Cover Table of Contents Fragments from a Century: A History of Republican Turkey, 1923–2023 Alp Yenen and Erik-Jan Zürcher 1923–1932 1 A Lasting Legacy: The Proclamation of the Republic Alp Yenen 2 Anxious Inquiries: The League of Nations on the Population Exchange Gözde Kırcıoğlu 3 Echoes of Modernity: Nazım Hikmet’s “Machinisation” of Turkish Poetry Petra de Bruijn 4 “Foreigners with their Fake Turkish and Muslim Masks”: A Public Debate about Dönmes Didem Yerli 5 “Stricken by Illness”: Political Plagues of the New Capital Onur Ada 6 “Empowered to Prohibit”: The Law on the Maintenance of Order Erik-Jan Zürcher 7 “The Congregation of Civilisation”: Mustafa Kemal Pasha’s Speech in Kastamonu Remzi Çağatay Çakırlar 8 A Step Forward, a Step Back: Women’ Rights and the Civil Code of 1926 Nicole A.N.M. van Os 9 “Citizen, Speak Turkish!”: A Jewish Appeal for Turkification Deniz Tat 10 An Unusual Letter, an Unusual Opposition: The Free Republican Party Uğur Derin 1933–1942 11 Geography of a Nation in the Making: The Settlement Law of 1934 Çiğdem Oğuz 12 A Glimpse into Policies on Spirits: Alcohol Percentages in Rakı Production Emre Erol 13 Defining Kemalism: The Program of the CHP in an Age of Ideologies Remzi Çağatay Çakırlar 14 Language, Nation, and their Enemies: Linguistic Nationalism Emmanuel Szurek 15 “Treacherous and Insidious”: Turkey’s Southern Border Ramazan Hakkı Öztan 16 Modernising Attire, Modernising the Nation: Reflections of Kemalist Clothing Reforms Sevgi Adak 17 Mapping Nomadism: The Construction of the Nation-State Reşat Kasaba 18 “The Lament of Laç Valley”: Mourned Memory of the Dersim Massacre Uğur Ümit Üngör 19 Nationalisation of the Banking System: The Increase in General Deposits Y. Doğan Çetinkaya 20 Steering the Economy: Turkey in the Second World War Alexander E. Balistreri 1943–1952 21 A Precarious Offer: The Dodecanese Islands and Turkish Neutrality in the Second World War Onur İşçi 22 “I am a Victim of the Capital Tax”: The Voices of İstanbul Greeks Alexandros Lamprou 23 “Enlightening” the Turkish Countryside: The Village Institutes Sacit Yarımoğlu 24 Inspecting the East: The CHP Secretary General’s Views on the Kurdish Provinces 25 Planting the Seeds of Multiparty Politics: Memorandum of the Four Alexander E. Balistreri 26 The Future of an Ancient Capital: Henri Prost’s Master Plan for İstanbul F. Cânâ Bilsel 27 “What Is to Be Done?”: The Legacy of Leftist Minority Artists in Turkey Nicholas Kontovas 28 The Language of Religion: The Reversion of the Ezan from Turkish to Arabic Ömer Koçyiğit 29 “The Sincerest Feeling of all the Peace-Loving Turkish People”: Pacifism and the Korean War Nadav Solomonovich 30 Beekeeping, Agriculture, and Democracy: The Debate over Cold War Modernity Nicholas Danforth 1953–1962 31 “Male Beauty Kings”: Gender, Biopolitics, and Pageantry in the Annals of İstanbul Müge Özoğlu 32 “Religion is Bound to the State”: Ali Fuat Başgil’s Critique of Secularism Umut Azak 33 Symbol of Turkish Modernity and Bastion of the West: The Hilton Hotel in İstanbul Hans Theunissen 34 The Beginning of an End: The Pogrom of 6-7 September 1955 Stefo Benlisoy 35 Politicised Suffering: On Being an Albanian Migrant in Turkey Nathalie Clayer 36 “Actions in the Middle East Are Only a Beginning”: Turkey and the Syrian Crisis of 1957 Onur İşçi 37 An Early Announcement of the 1961 Constitution: Calls for Reforms by the Opposition Ahmet İnsel 38 Mobilising Youths for Political Change: Codeword 555K Çimen Günay-Erkol 39 Opening Pandora’s Box: The 1960 Military Coup d’État Mogens Pelt 40 “The Era of Planned Development”: The Founding of the State Planning Organisation Erwin Dekker 1963–1972 41 From Temporary Migration to the Struggle for Equal Social Rights: Turkish Workers in Germany Ahmet Akgündüz 42 Dreams of Development: Peasantism, Cadrism, and a Disciplined Society Engin Kılıç 43 Deviating from the National Narrative: The Workers’ Party of Turkey and Cyprus Nikos Christofis 44 The Making of a National Symbol: Necip Fazıl Kısakürek and Hagia Sophia Umut Azak 45 The Turkish Queen of the Hippies: Remembering Perihan Yücel Yavuz Köse 46 A Fragile Liberal Democratic Moment: Demirel and the Turkish Centre-Right Tanıl Bora Translated by Salih Işık Bora 47 Contesting Family Planning: Birth Control as a Conspiracy Heinrich Hartmann 48 Political Islam in the Turkish Parliament: The National Order Party İlker Aytürk 49 Appreciating Turmoil: The Autonomy of Universities and the Military Intervention Funda Soysal 50 Imperialism, Colonialism, and Oligarchic Dictatorships: Mahir Çayan’s Revolutionary Theory Erol Ülker 1973–1982 51 A Growing İstanbul: The Opening of the Bosphorus Bridge Gözde Kırcıoğlu 52 Cinematic Imagining of the Nationalist Soldier-to-be: Little Mujahid in Cyprus Güldeniz Kıbrıs 53 Between Modernisation and Class Struggle: Arabesk Music Kadir Dede 54 A Forgotten Wave: Socialist Women’s Activism and the Struggle for Gender Equality Sevgi Adak 55 Mothers with Sons: Sevgi Soysal’s Critiques of Masculinity Çimen Günay-Erkol 56 Revolutionary Martyrdom: The Death of Haki Karer and the Emergence of PKK Joost Jongerden 57 Civil War Strategy of the Turkish Far-Right: The Maraş Massacre Ahmet İnsel 58 Capitalism after Military Intervention: Vehbi Koç and the Military-Industrial Complex Kaya Akyıldız 59 Leftists from Turkey, Unite! Behice Boran in Brussels Oğul Tuna 60 When Generals Do Etymology: On the Kart-Kurt Myth of Kurdish Deniz Tat 1983–1992 61 Active State Participation in the Manufacture of Denialism: “The Armenian Issue” Uğur Derin 62 “My Body, My Choice!”: Conceptions of a Contemporary Feminist Slogan in Turkey Sevil Çakır Kılınçoğlu 63 A Challenge to the Military Junta: The Petition of Intellectuals Cangül Örnek 64 The Intersection of State and Religion: National Unity and Religion on Television Güldeniz Kıbrıs 65 “The United States Will Be Buying our Textile Exports!”: Özal, Reagan, and Neoliberalism Howard Eissenstat 66 The Intellectuals’ Hearth: A Republican Generation? Zeynep Bursa-Millet 67 Three Days in Bekaa Valley: An Interview with Abdullah Öcalan Serhun Al 68 Turkish Pop: The New Urban and Neoliberal Culture of Turkey Kadir Dede 69 “Mafiacity Ümraniye”: Irregular Urbanisation and the İstanbul Gecekondu Jan-Markus Vömel 70 On the Possibility of a Liberal Islam: The Resurrection of the Constitution of Medina in Turkey İlker Aytürk and Anıl Kahvecioğlu 1993–2002 71 In Between Invisibility and Recognition: The Sivas Massacre Besim Can Zırh 72 The State’s Informal Organisations: Paramilitaries in the Turkish-Kurdish Conflict Ayhan Işık 73 For the Liberation of Women: Three Kurdish Women’s Periodicals Nicole A.N.M. van Os 74 Reckoning with a Life Lived Like a Storm: Repatriating Enver Pasha Michael A. Reynolds 75 Finding Nowhereland: Totalitarian Nightmares as a Utopian Vision Engin Kılıç 76 Of Minarets and Bayonets: The Poem that Landed Erdoğan in Jail Petra de Bruijn 77 “Turkey in our Hands”: Polemics and Protest against the Headscarf Ban Jan-Markus Vömel 78 “Turkey’s Birthright”: The Promises of Turkish EU Candidacy Müge Kınacıoğlu 79 The Return to the Village: Turkey’s State-Building in Kurdistan Joost Jongerden 80 The “Marlboro” Law: A Turning Point in the Neoliberalisation of Rural Turkey Zeynep Ceren Eren Benlisoy 2003–2012 81 Another Period of Hope and Disappointment: Yearning for Inclusivity and Diversity in Turkey Ohannes Kılıçdağı 82 Towards New Ways: Gendering the New Turkish Penal Code Nicole A.N.M. van Os 83 Barbecues, Invaded Beaches, and White Turks: Cultural Wars in Turkey Doğan Gürpınar 84 A High-Rise on Cement: The Turkish Construction Boom Murat Gül 85 Darbukas against Dozers: 40 Days and 40 Nights to Save the Sulukule NeighBourhood Danielle V. Schoon 86 Tutelage’s Terminus: The E-Memorandum by the General Staff Berk Esen 87 Contested Power, Weaponised Memoirs: The “Diaries” of Admiral Özden Örnek Fatma Müge Göçek 88 Turkey’s Moment in the World: Davutoğlu and Neo-Ottomanism in Turkey’s Foreign Policy Kerem Öktem 89 “Not Good Enough but Yes”: The Long Shadow of the 2010 Referendum İlker Aytürk 90 Towards Peace or Further Troubles? The People’s Democratic Congress Özgür Mutlu Ulus 2013–2023 91 Solidarity and Diversity: The Gezi Protests Emre Erol 92 Puppies, Vegans, and Cheese: Culture Wars in the Age of Populism Doğan Gürpınar 93 The End of the Peace Process: The Cizre Massacres Gözde Kırcıoğlu 94 “An Insurrection Instigated by the Parallel Structure”: The Night of the Attempted Coup Berk Esen 95 “How’d I Transition?”: Turkish Queer Slang out of the Closet and onto the Stage Nicholas Kontovas 96 The Return of Local Democracy: The CHP and the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Kerem Öktem 97 A Pandemic, a Curfew, and a Resignation: The Politics of COVID-19 in Turkey Einar Wigen 98 The Decade of Migration: A Politics of Death or Life? Sibel Karadağ 99 “Long ago, Enemies Raided Turkish Lands”: Nationalism and Militarism in TV Series Petra de Bruijn 100 That’s Nobody’s Business but the Turks’: Rebranding “New Türkiye” for the New Century Alp Yenen and Erik-Jan Zürcher