Contemporary Turkish Youth as Subjects of State, Family, & Self: The Particular Case of University Students in Istanbul
Abstract
This thesis identifies the various processes of identity formation among contemporary
Turkish youth, specifically urban university students. Turkish youth are situated
at a crossroads between tradition and modernity—they strive to maintain Turkish tradition
while working towards achieving full modernity. These youth, however, understand the
paradox behind this challenge. If Turkey wants to achieve European modernity, it must
first address issues of the past. This poses a problem because so much of Turkish
culture is rooted in nationalism, the antithesis of global citizenship. Much of Turkey’s
strength falls on this nationalism supported through a defensive military and decades-old
ideology. Youth understand to raise Turkey to the status of a competitive global player,
the nation as a whole must come to a consensus on what it means to be Turkish. This
means reconfiguring the “collective identity” so it is representative of Turkey’s
ethnic diversity. This reconfiguration would also necessitate a rewriting of Turkish
history to include those who were marginalized from the very beginning.
Turkey’s tradition/modernity dichotomy is most visible through youth’s development
of selves. Rather than give the illusion that these youth have whole identities, their
anxieties in everyday life serve as visible representation of the discontinuity between
their multiple senses of self. Using Michel Foucault’s notion of governmentality,
I demonstrate how youth are subject to three sources contributing to their identity
formation. I argue contemporary Turkish youth are subject to state, family, and global
culture—three points of reference governing their everyday lives. The practices involving
these three aspects of governmentality are: faithfully serving the interests of the
state, fulfilling family obligations, and mirroring global culture in hopes of developing
a more autonomous self and ultimately, contributing to a more developed, modernized
Turkey.
Type
Honors thesisDepartment
Cultural AnthropologySubject
Turkish youth identitiesTurkish higher education system
Turkish nationalism
Turkish university students
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2246Citation
Tsegaye, Salem (2010). Contemporary Turkish Youth as Subjects of State, Family, & Self: The Particular Case
of University Students in Istanbul. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2246.Collections
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