A Chosen People Narrative for Turkish Nationalism

The belief in the divine chosenness of the Turkish nation has been a central pillar of Turkish nationalism. The historian and ideologue Osman Turan's (1914–1978) The History of the Turkish Ideal of the World Domination (1969) was foundational in the consolidation of this belief, particularly among Ülkücüs. This article discusses how Turan produced a chosen people narrative for Turkish nationalists within the framework of Cold War politics. Although some of Turan’s ideas can be found in the writings of other nationalist authors, he was the one who synthesized these ideas into a grand narrative of a messianic mission. The book remains widely popular in Türkiye today, primarily because it provided a unique chosen people narrative, which was missing in Turkish nationalism. The article examines how the book shaped the mindset of young nationalists, based on memoirs and other relevant primary sources. It argues that the impact of Turan’s magnus opum on the Ülkücü movement was far greater than other similar intellectuals, although he is largely ignored in the literature on Turkish nationalism. Finally, the article situates Turan’s ideas in the context of Cold War anti-communism and highlights the common ideological sources of nationalists and Islamists in Türkiye.

Ideal (ethics) · Ideology · Memoir · Mindset · Narrative · Nationalism · Turkish · Cyprus History, Politics, Society · Historical Turkish Studies · Turkey's Politics and Society