MEAS6503 Modern Turkey: History, Culture and Regional Relations
| Offered By | Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Graduate Coursework |
| Course Subject | Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies |
| Offered in | Second Semester, 2012 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description |
Westerners prior to the foundation of Modern Turkey referred to the Ottoman State as Turkey. The usage was vague and most probably in Western mind covered only Asia Minor and Thrace where the Muslims (in the sense of Turks) were in majority regardless of their ethnic origin. The Balkans and Arabia as well as almost all of North Africa were once the Ottoman lands with a continuing Ottoman heritage and culture. The word Turkey was used for a geographical region that fell between the Balkans and Arabia, but with no clear-cut boundaries. First World War marked the end of Ottoman Empire. The Allied Plan for the so called Turkey confined the Turks to central and centre part of northern Anatolia. The Turks under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, later the founder of Modern Turkey, fought the War of Liberation. Fighting against the great imperial powers of the day they were finally able to secure the boundaries of Modern Turkish Republic. Ataturk was declared as the first president of Turkey. The new modern state was founded following the Western model and started to act as a bridge between the East and the West. There is still a controversy whether Turkey was founded on the Ottoman heritage or not. In any case it is generally accepted that the Ottoman culture and its heterogeneous population were amalgamation and continuation of the most civilized Christian and Islamic empires such as Roman and Byzantine, Abbasid and Seljuk. It is very unfortunate that the ethno-cultural problems that had already existed or were created during the process of breaking up the Ottoman Empire are kept alive and continue to pose danger both to Modern Turkey and the newly founded states in the Balkans and the Middle East. The main concern of this course will be to tackle these problems and analyze them within the dynamic framework of change and continuity. The course will also concentrate on the political, cultural, economic and social dangers that Modern Turkey, as a bridge between the Middle East and West, is facing today. Course Objectives: 1. To provide an in-depth coverage of the problems that a nation might face during the process of state building and thereafter. 2. To demonstrate the ways the big powers can tamper and manipulate with ethno-religious mosaic in a region. 3. To discover the ways socio-economic, cultural, religious and ethnic factors can play in the break up of an empire and formation of a new state. |
| Indicative Assessment | 5,000-word essay (50%), final examination or second optional essay (40%) and tutorial assessment based on attendance, reading and performance (10%) |
| Workload | Two one-hour lectures and one tutorial per week |
| Course Classification(s) | TransitionalTransitional courses are designed for students from a broad range of backgrounds and learning achievements, which provide for the acquisition of generic skills; or an informed understanding of contemporary issues; or fundamental knowledge for transition to Advanced or Specialist courses. |
| Areas of Interest | Arab and Islamic Studies |
| Preliminary Reading |
J M Landau (ed.), Ataturk and the Modernization of Turkey, Boulder, Westview Press, 1984. S Deringil, The Ottomans, the Turks, and World Power Politics, Istanbul: The ISIS Press, 2000. FS Larrabee & I O Lesser, Turkish Foreign Policy in an Age of Uncertainty, National Security Research Division, Santa Monica: RAND, 2003. |
| Programs | Graduate Diploma in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Graduate Diploma in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, and Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies |
| Academic Contact | Dr. M. Mehdi Ilhan |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2012 website applies to the 2012 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2011 website.
