Understanding the Dynamics of Turkish Nationalism

Derya Bayir. Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Farnham, Surrey, England; Bur- lington, VT: Ashgate, 2013. Carter Vaughn Findley. Turkey, Islam, Nationalism, and Modernity: A History, 1789-2007, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. Jenny White. Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013. Many scholars have analyzed Turkish nationalism to understand its progress in the Turkish Republic from different perspectives. While some scholars have forefronted the importance of cultural and religious aspects of Turkish nationalism, others have emphasized the significance of politics and economics in its formation. Three influential scholars have provided distinctive perceptions on the significance of this nationalism in Turkish society. Carter Vaughn Findley presents a thorough reevaluation of Turkish history in examining various dynamics of Turkish society. While Findley provides an overview on the role of nationalism in the nation's history, Derya Bayir emphasizes that minorities are not protected in the Turkish legal system because the system aims to preserve Turkish nationalism. In contrast to these two perceptions, Jenny White expresses a modern analysis of the cultural and social aspects of Turkish society with an emphasis on the contrasting outlooks of Muslim nationalists and Kemalists on asserting one's Turkishness. These three scholarly perspectives concerning the various aspects of Turkish nationalism are essential in assisting readers to grasp the impact of nationalism in Turkish society.