Citizenship Education in Turkey

From Militant-Secular to Islamic Nationalism

Abdulkerim Sen and Hugh Starkey

This book investigates the evolution of citizenship education curriculum in parallel with the ideological transition of the country in a crucial period in which political power switched from secular-militant to Islamic nationalism. It sheds light on the ways in which a combination of internal and external influences shaped the curriculum which include the power struggle between the two forms of nationalism and the role of the United Nations, the European Union and Council of Europe. In most countries, the national curriculum is modified when there is a change of government. In Turkey, the alignment of the national curriculum to the dominant ideology in power is to be expected. Therefore, the investigation offers more than a descriptive account of the transformation of citizenship education curriculum. Against the backdrop of the ideological transformation of the national education from 1995 to 2012, the book presents a nuanced and critical account of curriculum change in citizenship education.

Lexington Books

Pages: 146 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-4985-9468-4 • Hardback • December 2019 • $85.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4985-9469-1 • eBook • December 2019 • $80.50 • (£54.95)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Middle Eastern

Citizenship Education in Turkey

From Militant-Secular to Islamic Nationalism

Hardback

Summary

This book investigates the evolution of citizenship education curriculum in parallel with the ideological transition of the country in a crucial period in which political power switched from secular-militant to Islamic nationalism. It sheds light on the ways in which a combination of internal and external influences shaped the curriculum which include the power struggle between the two forms of nationalism and the role of the United Nations, the European Union and Council of Europe. In most countries, the national curriculum is modified when there is a change of government. In Turkey, the alignment of the national curriculum to the dominant ideology in power is to be expected. Therefore, the investigation offers more than a descriptive account of the transformation of citizenship education curriculum. Against the backdrop of the ideological transformation of the national education from 1995 to 2012, the book presents a nuanced and critical account of curriculum change in citizenship education.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 146 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-1-4985-9468-4 • Hardback • December 2019 • $85.00 • (£54.95)

978-1-4985-9469-1 • eBook • December 2019 • $80.50 • (£54.95)

Subjects: Political Science / World / Middle Eastern

Author

Abdulkerim Sen is assistant professor at Eskisehir Osmangazi University.
Hugh Starkey is professor at UCL Institute of Education, London.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter two: Theorising Citizenship and Citizenship Education

Chapter three: An Instrument for Nation-Building: Citizenship Education in Turkey

Chapter four: Militarization of Citizenship Education

Chapter five: Citizenship Education Curriculum in Transition

Chapter six: Struggle between Democratisation and Islamisation

Chapter Seven: Conclusion

Reviews

"Indispensable to understanding contemporary Turkish politics. Abdulkerim Sen and Hugh Starkey highlight civic education as a tool of state-building in modern Turkey as well as a hot spot of continuing contestation within a deeply divided society."
— Thomas W. Smith, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

This book provides a detailed and thoughtful insight into how the ideological shift in Turkey from secular to Islamic nationalism shaped and changed the school curriculum; specifically courses on citizenship education. It also provides a fascinating analysis of how Turkey's quest to satisfy the conditions for entry to the EU facilitated that change.
— Paul Morris, University College London

Citizenship Education in Turkey

From Militant-Secular to Islamic Nationalism

Abdulkerim Sen and Hugh Starkey

Citizenship Education in Turkey

From Militant-Secular to Islamic Nationalism

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