The construction and re-construction of the civil religion around the cult of Ataturk


Çaymaz B.

MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, cilt.55, sa.6, ss.945-957, 2019 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 55 Sayı: 6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2019
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/00263206.2019.1608187
  • Dergi Adı: MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.945-957
  • Galatasaray Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The longest living among its twentieth-century counterparts, the century-old cult of Ataturk is deeply rooted in the collective conscience in Turkey. In this essay, we will try to show the dual role of the image of Ataturk in the political struggle, both in current times and in the past, as a national hero created around civil religiosity. In the case of Ataturk, not only do we encounter a figure that primarily facilitates the legitimation of the existing political and social system, but also an eternal saviour who is called upon in order to oppose that system at various times.