Romanticism in Turkish Political Culture

In this book, Hasan Aksakal examines how central and critical Romanticism is in Turkish political culture. In political thought, romanticism refers to metaphysical-idealist values and forces that go beyond the visible, tangible world. While romantics try to re-enchant the world, which has lost its magic as it becomes secular, they turn the truth into a myth. The search for "national spirit" and "authentic culture", enthusiastically embraced by conservative and nationalist segments, prioritizes national culture over universal civilization.

National Romanticism, which combined the sacred trinity of state-nation-homeland with the legendary and irrational attitude inherent in the view of the language-history-geography trinity, showed its power mainly in literature in Turkey. Aksakal points out that the most important representatives of modern Turkish thought are men of letters, historians, politicians or poets who are loved, respected and even iconic only to the extent that they can create a romanticizing effect. It sheds light on the general character of this "national romantic sentiment" in Turkey, in which Nâmık Kemal and Ziya Gökalp came to the fore and whose sometimes nationalist, sometimes conservative and sometimes Islamic aspects predominated, including its Kemalist, populist and revolutionary versions.

It is a research guide to understand this political dream, which extends from romantic populism to romantic historiography and from there to today's romantic strategic depths, and highlights the Occidentalist anger against Orientalism.
(From the Promotional Bulletin)



Number of Pages: 312

Year of Printing: 2015


Language: Turkish
Publisher: İletişim Publishing

First Print Year: 2015

Language Turkish