Nationalism and Islam in Cold War Turkey, 1944–69
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10280647 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ilker Aytürk (0000-0001-7491-4081, Bilkent University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 693-719 |
| Publication date | 2014-08-08 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Middle Eastern Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0026-3206 • E-ISSN: 1743-7881 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00263206.2014.911177 |
| OpenAlex | W2001682709 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
Our current knowledge on the history of Turkish nationalism during the Cold War is a blend of facts and myths. One of those myths is the argument that the Turks developed a special relationship with Islam following their massive conversion in the eleventh century to the extent that religion has become the most important ingredient in Turkish national identity over time, even more pronounced than ethnic attributes. Secular visions of Turkish nationalism, on the other hand, which emphasize ethnic characteristics, are generally regarded as curious but unimportant exceptions. This article challenges that narrative and maintains that the alleged unimportance of secular nationalism is an invention of the late 1960s. It provides evidence that there was no consensus among Turkish nationalists on the question of Islam; on the contrary, the role of Islam in the making of Turkish identity was the most hotly debated topic among rival nationalist circles. It was not until the turning point in 1969 that a host of factors such as demographic change, anti-Kemalist and anti-RPP sentiments, and electoral behaviour in Cold War Turkey convinced Turkish nationalists to adopt a more Islamic-leaning discourse to be more successful at the ballot box
Aesthetics · Argument (complex analysis · Ethnic group · Identity (music · Islam · Mythology · Nationalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Turkish · Balkans: History, Politics, Society · Classics · Gender Studies · Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics · History · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies · Turkey's Politics and Society · Religious Studies
From Common Religious Media to Materialities of Superstition
Cold War Kemalist elites’ reformist Islam
Ethnic and religious nationalism in Turkey
Autobiography and conservative-nationalist political opposition in Early Republican Turkey
Applying the triad of coloniality in the Islamic intellectual field
The impact of group positioning on unfavorable perceptions of Greeks in Turkish politics between 1946 and 1960
The Relationship between Perceived Security Threats and Negative Descriptions of Armenians in Turkish Politics (1946–1960)
The Repertoires of Religious Nationalism
Mukaddesatçılık
Addressing the Blurred Edges of Turkey’s Diaspora and Religious Policy
A Small Yes for Presidentialism
Turkish nationalism and the evolutionary idea (1923–1938)
Pastors of a dispersed flock
Praetorian Army in Action
Islam, the Homeland, and the Family
| Citations per year | 1.67 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2026 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |