IN THE LABYRINTHS OF KEMALISM: FACTS, TABOOS, AND INQUIRIES
As the Republic of Turkey democratizes, Kemalism, which has become the founding ideology of our recent political history, is being laid out on an academic and social autopsy table. However, the picture that emerges in this process is woven not with a rational and objective historical consciousness, but with taboos protected by law, emotional myths, and ideological polarizations.
In this expanded 2nd edition, social policy expert Prof. Dr. Ali Seyyar courageously enters the areas of Kemalist thought considered untouchable. Through current debates reflected in the press, the author critically examines the theomorphic (deified) elements of Kemalism, its painful ties to the political system, and the paradoxes within the modernization process.
The main questions sought and challenging conventional wisdom in this study are:
- Ideological Transformation: Is the figure of Atatürk being cast into a theomorphic structure within the Turkish education system? Who are the actors behind the project of spiritual Kemalism?
- Hidden History: The behind-the-scenes of the Topal Osman and Ali Şükrü Bey incident... The question of whether the grave of his adopted daughter, Nebile Hanım, was deliberately forgotten...
- System and Tutelage: Does Kemalism truly pave the way for democratization, or does it function as a mechanism of tutelage? How rational is the claim that if Atatürk were alive today, he would reject the current system?
- Faith and Identity: Why are Atatürk's personal beliefs (debates on atheism vs. sainthood) being turned into political instruments today? Why is the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs) unable to prepare an independent report on Kemalism?
- Critique of Modernity: Was the goal of "contemporary civilization" a grassroots project or an elitist imposition? From the Disney crisis to the analysis of King of the Mountain, how is the image of Atatürk constructed in international literature?
Ali Seyyar analyzes the perception of Atatürk across a wide spectrum, from the conservative wing to atheist academics, with critical objectivity, avoiding the traps of sanctification and demonization. This book serves as a roadmap for those who wish to question recent history through findings rather than slogans.