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" Unifying the Nation, Entrenchment of the State: "
Basaranlar, Burak
Schull, Kent F.
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1112007
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2512722901
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| Main Entry
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Basaranlar, Burak
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Schull, Kent F.
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| Title & Author
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Unifying the Nation, Entrenchment of the State:\ Basaranlar, BurakSchull, Kent F.
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| College
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State University of New York at Binghamton
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| Date
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2020
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| student score
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2020
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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243
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| Abstract
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This dissertation project explores the inextricable link between Turkish nationalism and the state-building process from 1923 to 1950. I focus on Dersim and Eastern Thrace. In both regions, non-Turkish segments of the population witnessed nationalist attacks. Whereas the Turkish military undertook military operations in Dersim in 1937-1938, the increasing nationalist sentiments and anti-Semitic hatred took a violent turn in 1934. Thousands of Kurds in Dersim were killed and relocated to various parts of the country while Jews in Eastern Thrace were expelled from the region. This dissertation analyzes the state policies in such contentious areas. This research takes a closer look at the administrative capacity in both regions and argues that state policies in both regions resulted from the Turkish state’s uncertain, fragile, and weak presence. I first demonstrate that the nationalist violence escalated because of the limited administrative capacity of the Turkish state. In Dersim, the tribal configurations created obstacles for the Turkish state to implement its designated policies, such as the redistribution of lands, the construction of roads, and the opening of new schools. In Eastern Thrace, Jewish merchants and moneylenders were scapegoated after the Turkish state proved incapable of offering credits and financial assistance in appropriate conditions in post-Great Depression period. The indebtedness of agricultural producers provided a solid justification for the expulsion of Jews. Besides, there was a varying degree of civilian participation in both regions. Whereas some tribes in Dersim cooperated with the Turkish state, it was the civilian aggressors who attacked Jews in Eastern Thrace. I further emphasize civilian participation and the weak state presence as I go beyond the policies of extermination and massacre. I analyze the societal responses to the Turkish state’s attempt to expand its administrative and infrastructural power. In this way, this dissertation challenges the deep-rooted binary between “the state” and “the society.” It demonstrates that various local and non-actors pushed the state to expand its power to improve their living standards. Although local inhabitants' representation was considerably limited, the process of “state-making” was not as top-down and as unidirectional as scholars used to believe.
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History
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Middle Eastern history
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Sociology
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