Constructing morality for Turkey : the moral campaign of the 1980s as a novel technique of governing
Author(s)
Advisor
Cindoğlu, DilekDate
2010Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
279
views
views
0
downloads
downloads
Abstract
Political history of Turkey of the 1980s usually narrates the institutional
reorganization of state structure and legislative changes introduced by the military
regime established after the September 12, 1980 coup d’état and demilitarization
efforts of the following civilian governments. However, the military regime did not
simply apply institutional changes; one of its aims was to infiltrate society at every
level, through “conduct of conduct.” Everyday life was targeted and governed by
both the military regime, following civilian governments and non-state actors in the
1980s in order to restructure socio-political space and establish hegemony of a life
style by setting new standards of normalcy. Morality, as a constitutive element of everyday life, had a peculiar place in
efforts to reconstruct the distinction between the normal and the abnormal, since it
was believed that decay of moral values was among the primary reasons of social
collapse in the pre-coup period. This study, hence, analyzes the moral campaign of
the 1980s, as a hegemonic project which problematized the conduct and values of
others and attempted to dominate everyday practices.
The dissertation studies the Intellectuals’ Hearth and a peculiar reading of
history and society, the Turkish Islamic Synthesis, as the intellectual background of
the moral campaign and as an exemplary discourse of moralist thinking. It later
focuses on three of everyday domains that were targeted in the 1980s to institute the
proper life style for the society and the individual: education of morality, politics of
non – heterosexuality and censorship of obscenity.
This study, then, rewrites the history of Turkey of the 1980s, as a story of
efforts to develop new standards of moral norms in everyday life.
Keywords
Turkish Politicsobscenity
censorship
Bülent Ersoy
transvestites
transsexuals
homosexuals
homosexuality
heterosexuality
Turkish education system
Turgut Özal
Motherland Party
Kenan Evren
September 12
1980s
Turkish Islamic Synthesis
Intellectuals’ Hearth
governmentality
everyday life
moral campaign
morality