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Journals / İmgelem / 2026 / Sayı: 19

From Faith to Prosperity: The Relationship Between Increasing Secularisation in Türkiye and Sustainable Development Goals

İnançtan Refaha: Türkiye’de Artan Sekülerleşme ile Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları Arasındaki İlişki

Özcan Garan(İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-8126-6473
Journal
İmgelem
Pages
374–402
Publication Date
2026-05-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Accordingly, the increase in secularisation in Türkiye in the first quarter of the 21st century appears to follow a trajectory that coincides with indicators related to the human dimension of sustainable development.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Secularisation, a multidimensional process that refers to the transformation of religion’s position in the social, political and cultural spheres of modern societies, has long been debated in sociological literature.
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Key Findings & Data:In this context, data from the sixth wave (2010–2014) and seventh wave (2017–2022) of the World Values Survey (WVS) are examined.
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Conclusion & Impact:Accordingly, the increase in secularisation in Türkiye in the first quarter of the 21st century appears to follow a trajectory that coincides with indicators related to the human dimension of sustainable development.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:2010–2014 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Türkiye'de Sekülerleşme · Dünya Değerler Araştırması · Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları.

Abstract

Secularisation, a multidimensional process that refers to the transformation of religion’s position in the social, political and cultural spheres of modern societies, has long been debated in sociological literature. In this context, data from the sixth wave (2010–2014) and seventh wave (2017–2022) of the World Values Survey (WVS) are examined. The Inglehart–Welzel culture map created with these data evaluates secularisation within the framework of the traditional–secular-rational (vertical) and survival–self-expression (horizontal) axes. The findings show that Türkiye experienced a significant shift towards secular-rational values on the vertical axis between WVS 6 and WVS 7; however, no significant transformation occurred in terms of self-expression values on the horizontal axis. The study discusses the findings obtained by Inlgelhart-Welzel in a relational framework with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “People” dimension, namely SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) within a relational framework. Accordingly, the increase in secularisation in Türkiye in the first quarter of the 21st century appears to follow a trajectory that coincides with indicators related to the human dimension of sustainable development.

Özet

Modern toplumların sosyal, siyasi ve kültürel alanlarında dinin konumunun dönüşümünü ifade eden çok boyutlu bir süreç olan sekülerleşme, sosyoloji literatüründe uzun süredir tartışılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Dünya Değerler Araştırması'nın (WVS) altıncı dalgası (2010–2014) ve yedinci dalgası (2017–2022) verileri incelenmiştir. Bu verilerle oluşturulan Inglehart–Welzel kültür haritası, sekülerleşmeyi geleneksel-seküler-rasyonel (dikey) ve hayatta kalma–kendini ifade etme (yatay) eksenleri çerçevesinde değerlendirmektedir. Bulgular, Türkiye’nin WVS 6 ile WVS 7 arasında dikey eksende seküler-rasyonel değerlere doğru önemli bir kayma yaşadığını göstermektedir; ancak yatay eksende kendini ifade etme değerleri açısından önemli bir dönüşüm gerçekleşmemiştir. Çalışma, Inglehart-Welzel tarafından elde edilen bulguları, Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları’nın (SKA) “İnsan” boyutu, yani SKA 1 (Yoksulluğa Son), SKA 2 (Açlığa Son), SKA 3 (Sağlık ve Kaliteli Yaşam), SKA 4 (Nitelikli Eğitim) ve SKA 5 (Toplumsal Cinsiyet Eşitliği) ile ilişkisel bir çerçeve içinde ele almaktadır. Buna göre, 21. yüzyılın ilk çeyreğinde Türkiye'de sekülerleşmedeki artış, sürdürülebilir kalkınmanın insan boyutuyla ilgili göstergelerle örtüşen bir yörünge izliyor görünmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Garan, Ö. (2026). From Faith to Prosperity: The Relationship Between Increasing Secularisation in Türkiye and Sustainable Development Goals. İmgelem, Sayı: 19, 374–402. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1879520

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