Kitlesel şenliğin toplumsal eğitime dönüşmesi: Türkiye'de geleneksel yeni yıl kutlamalarının pedagojik geri kazanımı

Abstract

This paper investigates the transformation of the traditional New Year celebration in Turkey. It focuses on the ideological ways in which Kurdish political opposition and the Turkish State have appropriated the Newroz-Nevruz tradition in their political history. I believe reflecting on the modification of this specific tradition within the larger context of the history of Turkey offers us an opportunity to observe a unique intersection of culture and politics. In the case of Newroz-Nevruz, the Turkish State first ignored this tradition and did not give any role to Newroz-Nevruz in its highly politicized repertoire of celebrations. However, subsequently the popularity and the wide acceptance of Newroz-Nevruz among the Kurds in Turkey motivated the Turkish State to appropriate this already invented tradition. This work also examines the nature of these contested festivals and their pedagogical utilizations. It explores the development and function of contrasting pedagogical activities through this tradition and draw out their comparative implications for the Kurdish issue and its resolution in Turkey. The paper begins with the conceptual framework underpinning this research. Subsequently, it outlines the cultural policies of the Turkish Republic and analyzes their impact on the Republic's nation building efforts. The work displays how the Kurdish political medium facilitates Newroz as a framework that permits a redefinition and promotion of ethnic identity, creating a reliable channel for communication and alternative civic education. It also demonstrates the Turkish state's operation of tradition reclamation through Nevruz. The paper concludes by suggesting that even though the competition between the Kurdish Newroz and the Turkish Nevruz is widely seen as a source of political instability, the common characteristics of these two contested versions highlight their potential for conflict resolution.