Activities
Seminars on the Formation of Modern Turkey 2004-2005

Third Saturday of each month 2:30-5:00 p.m.

In association with Bogaziçi University

The transition from empire to nation-state
and the legal, individual and economic variables of this process...

October 16, 2004 - Asst. Prof. Nadir Özbek
Poor Relief in Late Ottoman Society
Recently, Ottoman studies are showing a growing concern for concepts such as the social welfare state, social assistance and poverty. This lecture will consider the politics of poor relief and the emergence of a welfare state in an Ottoman context. In the 19 th century, the Ottoman State had already begun to take on certain social responsibilities. The foundation of charitable associations and various displays of assistance to the poor and medical care to the sick, particularly during the Second Constitutional Period and under the Hamidian regime, can be considered among the earliest manifestations of a social welfare state.

November 20, 2004 - Asst. Prof. Murat Koraltürk
"Turkification of the Economy in the Early Republic
One of the difficulties encountered by Turkey in its goal of developing a solid national economy is insufficient capital accumulation. Among the "national economic" policies of the Second Constitutional Period, the "Turkification" of the economy, which was continued and even amplified in the early years of the Republic, carried the greatest impact. The first big step taken in this direction was the population exchange between Turkey and Greece during the early years of the Republic. Real and personal properties left behind by non-Muslims, before and during this process, were a cause of major problems.

December 18, 2004 - Asst. Prof. Yavuz Selim Karakisla
The Ottoman Telephone Company of Constantinople and Ottoman Muslim Female Operators
A discussion dealing with the admittance of women in Ottoman society, into the public sector . The first telephones arrived in the Ottoman Empire in 1881 and were initially restricted to government use. In 1911, the Ottoman Telephone Company of Constantinople was founded, as a common consortium of British, American and French capital, and in 1913, the first telephone exchanges were established in the Beyoglu and Kadiköy districts of Istanbul. However, the reluctance shown by the company in employing Ottoman Muslim women, became an important social concern of the times.

January 15, 2005 - Assist. Prof. Ferdan Ergut
The Police as a Neglected Dimension of State-Building Processes: The Ottoman Case
The police as an instrument of control and domination within the country and as one of the most crucial elements in the process of Ottoman state-building. The foundation of state-society relations (conflict, punishment, reward and negotiation) and the new forms of state-society relations that emerged from the practices and prerogatives developed by the police around the concept of "public order".

February 19, 2005 - Assoc. Prof. Cemil Koçak
The Single-Party Period and General Inspectorships
This seminar examines, from a politico-sociological perspective, the pros and cons of the single-party period Turkey underwent in the interval between the World Wars. Focusing on the concurrences and divergences between the party and state bureaucracy, the seminar discusses as well the establishment of general inspectorships.

March 19, 2005 - Assoc. Prof. Dilek Barlas
Turkish Foreign Policy Between the Two World Wars: The Italian Factor
Turco-Italian relations between the two World Wars had their ups and downs. Turkey 's economic needs and its efforts to escape economic isolation led it to search for different options. Although, all through the 20s and the 30s, it perceived Italy as a threat, Turkey never renounced its attempts at cooperation. The ups and downs in this relationship between the two countries did not go unnoticed. Observing the Turco-Italian rapport, where fear and uneasiness went hand in hand with cooperation, France defined Turkey 's stance towards Italy as inimical friendship (amiadversion).

April 16, 2005 - Prof. Füsun Üstel
The Century-Long History of Civic Education in Public Schools
What type of citizen does the state want in Turkey? What kind of civic education is given in schools to achieve this? Defining citizenship and "crafting" good citizens is one of the basic processes of nation building. What makes a "good citizen" and how has this definition varied in different periods? From the Malumat-i Medeniye (Civic Instruction) textbooks used in the education curriculum of the 2^nd Constitution to the Vatandaslik ve Insan Haklari Egitimi (Citizenship and Human Rights Education) taught at schools today, this lecture explores the state's conception of "good citizenship" and the changes which this conception underwent at different periods in time.

May 28, 2005 - Prof. Zafer Toprak
The Problematique of Transition from a Single to a Multi-Party System
Between 1939 and 1947, Turkey experienced some very radical political transformations. Contrary to many European nations, this period, although characterized by an intense intermingling of domestic and foreign policy, was overall rather peaceful. Nevertheless, it also brought about the birth of totally new structures, from the economy to politics, and from culture to society. The process of adaptation to these new structures coincided with major changes in the demographic profile of the country. From the 1950s on, rural migration and rapid urbanization, combined with the absence of a well established urban culture was a major setback to the development of democracy in Turkey. The fate of the Democrat Party was sealed by demography.