Kula Kulluk Yakişir Mi: The Impact of Atatürk’s Language Politics On Modern Türkiye

Abstract

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, commonly referred as the ‘father’ of the modern Turkish Republic, established a slew of linguistic reforms during his reign as President between 1923 and 1938. Analytically, these reforms are no short of radical; with the help of the Turkish Language Society (Türk Dil Kurumu, or TDK), these reforms consolidated a common Turkish alphabet and culture, and assimilated groups within Türkiye’s regional breadth of influence as to create one singular imagined community. As such, Atatürk’s authoritative policymaking has had a lasting impact on Turkish society at-large: from musical performance and bilateral free trade, to contemporary immigration laws, the legacy of Atatürk has been uncompromisingly upheld for several decades; only now to be challenged by current President Erdoğan’s administration.