Author: Sylwia Tomaszewska
In this post, I will engage in a discussion of Esra Özyürek’s text, “Miniaturizing Atatürk privatization of state imagery and ideology in Turkey,” and I will focus in particular on the concept of the state and process of miniaturization of images depicting Atatürk. Privatization of state ideology, which was materialized through the miniaturization of the images of the state’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was what Esra Özyürek has observed during her research in Turkey. The author argues that the process of privatization of Atatürk’s images and state ideology reflects diversification of Turkish society. According to Özyürek, this process began in the 1980s and 1990s when the secular movement intensified partially in response to the increased visibility and popularity of Islamic political parties. In her analysis, Özyürek points out that while Atatürk is still seen as an important figure in Turkish history, his cult has moved into the private sphere and has also become more diverse. The author examines various aspects of this process, including links to national identity, religion, popular culture, and politics.
The state in this article is conceptualized as a political institution that controls and supervises various aspects of social, economic, and cultural life, and imposes certain values and ideologies. One may note the emphasis that Atatürk’s image and state ideology have been subjected to the process of privatization, where symbols and images associated with the state and Atatürk have become subject to exploitation by various entities, including private companies, which used them even for commercial purposes. Accordingly, the article defines the state in the context of Turkey as a political institution that manages political, economic and social power, and which shapes national identity and imposes ideologies with the help of symbols and national myths such as Atatürk[1].
The author also argues that new images of Atatürk (such as paintings, monuments, and family photographs that depict Atatürk as a family member) produce a different ideal of the state. These images reduce, he notes, mentally, the effects of the all-powerful state that is imposed on citizens and suggest a less controlling state to which the public can relate less hierarchically through their own choice.
The text addresses a broader problem that is present in today’s world, namely the role of national symbols and myths in the formation of national identity and their evolution that happens along with political changes. Reading this text, one can consider that national symbols and national mythology are not static and unchanging forms, but evolve and adapt to changing political, social and cultural contexts. This phenomenon is common not only in Turkey, but also in other countries where national symbols serve various political and social purposes.
In many countries around the world, including Europe and North America, there are processes in which national symbols and national mythology are being changed, and sometimes even privatized, under the influence of globalization, political or cultural changes. In her work, Özyürek showed us what this process looked like in Turkey. Nowadays, these pose challenges related to national identity, including different interpretations of history, culture and tradition, which often leads to political and social conflicts. Therefore, the question of how symbols and national mythology evolve and how their roles in societies change is still an important issue.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the author’s point is to show that the state is not only a political creation but is a space in which certain political creation occurs.
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Esra Özyürek is a Turkish sociologist and anthropologist, currently Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She previously held positions at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Cambridge. Özyürek’s research focuses on issues related to religion, nationalism and the politics of memory, with a particular focus on Turkey and Germany. She has published extensively on topics such as the intersection of religion and politics in Turkey, the experiences of Turkish immigrants in Germany, and the ways in which collective memory and historical narratives are constructed and contested. Özyürek’s work has received numerous awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize from the German Research Foundation and the Philip Leverhulme Prize from the Leverhulme Trust. He is also a member of the European Academy and a fellow of the British Academy[2].
[1] Özyürek, Esra. "Miniaturizing Atatürk privatization of state imagery and ideology in Turkey." American Ethnologist 31, no. 3 (2004): 375-376.
[2] Professor Esra Özyürek | Faculty of Divinity (cam.ac.uk) [access date: 05.05.2023]
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