Paternalistic model of child: a comparison between late Ottoman society and early Republic of Turkey

Paternalistic model of child: a comparison between late Ottoman society and early Republic of Turkey

Ideal child model of the late Ottoman Empire and the early Republic of Turkey is largely the same and based on the paternalistic notion of decency, terbiye. In this article, it is argued why and how this ideal model of child is reproduced from late Ottoman society to the early Republic of Turkey. The thesis is that terbiye as an old tradition aimed at growing children at home and educating them in schools for survival of the social order based on trilateral power of God, Sultan/President, and Father- is one of the political, religious and educational heritages inherited from Ottomans to modern Turkey. But while terbiye in Ottomans is heavily regarded and practiced in Islamic conception of formal and informal training, modern Turkey’s understanding of terbiye was founded on Turkish nationalism having a laique feature formulated in secular patterns. Although there are some continuities and discontinuities about terbiye in two periods, the decisive power of both governments was directed to reproduce the social order by placing the children into paternalistic place of society which shows that paternalistic relations are against the democracy for children in terms of self-determination on their acts and speech since the child has no right to determine his/her life both in present and future in terms of paternalist conception of society, government and education. The method of the study is based on the review and survey of the literature related to speeches by important official founders and some writings of key ideological and political Turkish figures.

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  • Abdülaziz Bey. (2000) Osmanlı âdet, merasim ve tabirler. In: Arısan K, Arısan DG (editors). İstanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yay., 2. Basım.