Reframing the Nation

This chapter examines the processes of transition from “Ottoman” to “Turk” in the early Kemalist Republic, which involved carrying over certain characteristics and key components from the former to the latter. This transition, orchestrated by the same ruling elite, showed remarkable flexibility, emphasizing gradual change rather than abrupt breaks. Furthermore, the nationalist discourses and policies promoted by the Kemalist regime in the early Republic bore striking similarities to those of the late Ottoman period, evident for instance in the framing of concepts such as “Turk,” “nation,” and “citizen.” In Kemalist vocabulary, the notion of the “Turkish nation” was both inclusive and exclusive, civic and ethnic, secular and ethnoreligious etc. Similar to “Ottoman,” the concept of “Turk” was often presented as a supra-identity, broad enough to encompass all the elements of Turkey's ethnically diverse population. At the same time, however, it was tailored to meet the needs, logic, and methods of an aspiring nation-state.