Read more
A fresh interpretation of the foundation of modern Turkey demonstrating the crucial role of ordinary people under Atatürk in the 1920s and 30s.
List of contents
Introduction. Toward an infrahistory of Republican Turkey; Part I. Everyday Politics of Peasants: 1. The price of the Republic for the peasants; 2. Raising voice and rural discontent; 3. Resisting the agricultural taxes; 4. Social smuggling: resistance to the monopolies; 5. Theft, violence and banditry; Concluding remarks; Part II. Everyday Politics of Urban Labor: 6. The price of the republic for the working class; 7. Labor discontent; 8. Survival struggles and everyday resistance; 9. Violence, protests and walkouts; Concluding remarks; Part III: The Power of Popular Culture: 10. Hotbeds of opposition to secularism: mosques, coffehouses and homes; 11. Informal media vs. official discourse: word of mouth, rumors and placards; 14. Neither fez, nor hat: contesting the hat reform; 13. Negotiating anti-veiling campaigns; 15. Old habits die hard: tenacity of old lifestyles in new times; Concluding remarks; Epilogue. Infrastructure of Turkey's modernization; Bibliography.
About the author
Murat Metinsoy is Professor of History and Political Science in the Faculty of Economics, at Istanbul University. His research interests include the history and politics of modern Turkey and popular politics under authoritarian regimes. As the author of Turkey in World War II: State and Society in Everyday Life (Third edition, 2020) he was awarded the Best Young Social Scientist Award by The Turkish Social Science Association and the Best Book Award by the Ottoman Bank Archives and Research Center. Murat Metinsoy is a member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America, the Turkish Social Science Association, and the History Foundation of Turkey.
Summary
Adopting a broader conception of politics which focuses on daily interactions between the state and society, this study offers a fresh interpretation of the social forces which shaped modern Turkey, showing how ordinary people, in their daily actions shaped Turkey's modernization as much as Atatürk's strong spurt of modernization.
