Gelisim News

The symposium titled 'The effects of Central Asian culture on Anatolian culture' was held in the cooperation with Atatürk Culture, Language and History High Institution, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Hacı Bayram Veli University Asian Studies Application and Research Center, and Mirza Uluğbek National University of Uzbekistan under the leadership of Turkish Historical Society in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
 

National identities of the countries, the formation processes of Turkish national identity and the effects of Central Asian culture on identities were discussed in the symposium.

Turkey's Ambassador of Tashkent Mehmet Sureyya Er, Atatürk Culture, Language and History Institute Deputy President Professor Dr. Muhammet Hekimoğlu, Head of the Turkish Historical Society Prof. Dr. Refik Turan, Rector of the National University of Uzbekistan Mirza Uluğbek, Prof. Dr. Marahimov Avazjon Rahimovich, Director of Research and Application Centre for Asian Studies in Hacı Bayram Veli University Prof. Dr. Varis Cakan and experts in the field attended to the symposium.
 

Istanbul Gelisim University Head of Political Science and International Relations Department Prof. Dr. Şenol Durgun took place in the symposium as an invited speaker. Prof. Dr. Şenol Durgun gave a speech named ‘Central Asian influence in the formation process of Turkish national identity’.
 

THE WESTERNIZATION BRINGS ABOUT CONCEPTS LIKE NATION AND FREEDOM
 

Stating that the search for transforming the political and social structure of the Ottoman Empire started in this period, Prof. Dr. Durgun said: “Especially in terms of the unity of the country, the nationalism which started to spread in Europe with the French Revolution of 1789 and the studies of national identity in this direction affected the Ottoman Turkish society, as well. However, since this initially led to ethnic divisions, the search for a French-style political structure and identity began as a precautionary measure to highlight loyalty to the country and the state.”
 

“OTTAMAN IDENTITY EMPHASIZES LOYALTY TO THE STATE”
 

Saying that the first national identity establishment is shaped through ‘Ottoman’ identity, Prof. Dr. Şenol Durgun explained: “We see this establishment’s tersest statement in the Constitution of 1876, which is ‘all subjects are accepted as equal and Ottoman without distinction between language, religion and gender’. From this point of view, the Ottoman identity has a secular character and emphasizes loyalty to the country and the state.”
 

MOST IMPORTANT CITIES OF THAT PERIOD: THESSALONIKI AND ISTANBUL
 

Saying that the studies of nationalism and national identity accelerated gradually after 1908, Prof. Dr. Şenol Durgun expressed: “During that period, studies were conducted on the cities of Thessaloniki and Istanbul, which have an important position in cultural and intellectual terms. While the intellectuals of Thessaloniki have a perception more of a French-style nationalism and identity-building, the Istanbul-based intellectuals were German-style nationalism and identity-building. The school of Thessaloniki was represented by the ‘Young Pencils, ie, thinkers such as Ömer Seyfettin, Ali Canip Yöndem and Ziya Gökalp. On the other hand, the Istanbul school was represented by Turkic origin thinkers who fled Russia such as Hüseyinzade Ali Bey, Yusuf Akçura, Ahmet Ağaoğlu, Sadri Maksudi Arsal and both had different approaches to the formation of nationalism and national identity.”
 

MODERNIZATION STUDIES ALSO AFFECTED TURKEY
 

Telling that the school of Thessaloniki was more effective from the Second Constitutionalist Period to the 1930’s of the Republic, Prof. Dr. Durgun said: “This is the best expression of Turkishness which is in the 1924 Constitution, and this definition is the definition of ‘Turk’ in the Ottoman Basic Law (Kanuni Esasi). However, rapidly growing authoritarian tendencies, and development and modernization processes in the Western World since the second half of the 1920s had influenced on Turkey and brought forward the explanations on the formation of identity especially in the point of geography, history and language over the Central Asian perspective.