CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
EDUCATION IN TURKEY: ACTORS AND PRACTICES
Conference Dates: October 9–10, 2025, Istanbul
Document to download here.
Submission Guidelines:
Paper proposals, including the title and an abstract (maximum of 500 words), along with a short biographical note, must be submitted by April 20, 2025, to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.
All papers will undergo a review process, and the results will be announced by June 2025.
Education, both under the Ottoman Empire and in modern Turkey, has consistently been a highly politicized domain. It has served as a strategic tool for social engineering and the construction of national identity (Alkan, 2000; Ustel, 2004). The creation of new schools intended to train elites was a central pillar of Ottoman reforms (Georgeon, 1994). With an exclusively secular educational system considered a free public service, republican elites saw schools as a key for socialization and learning national norms (Copeaux, 1997; Üstel, 2004). After the 1980 coup, education was reoriented to align with market demands (Unal, 2005; Kaplan, 2006), with national security courses becoming mandatory at all levels of schooling (Kaya, 2015). In the 2000s, in a context of European harmonization and international market integration the AKP (Justice and Development Party) engaged in numerous reforms (Altinyelken & al, 2015), considering education as a key institution in the project of forming a "new Turkey" (Pérouse, 2015; Nohl, Somel 2020).
Since the AKP's rise to power, the education sector has become a political battleground. Despite strong opposition from national education bodies (Yilmaz, 2012), the AKP initially overcame resistance through an alliance with the F. Gülen religious community. The subsequent rupture in 2013 and Gülen movement's marginalization following the 2016 coup attempt had significant sectoral repercussions. Education emerged as an ideological arena through reforms, targeting the formation of a "pious youth" (Gençkol Eroler, 2020), including curriculum changes and new courses about the coup attempt. Controversial reforms like lifting the university headscarf ban in 2008 and equalizing secular and religious educational tracks in 2012 intensely divided societal discourse. These internal dynamics intersect with international influences. National educational reforms reflect pressures and recommendations from the OECD and European Union (Altinyelken, 2011, 2015), particularly as the Turkish government seeks to expand its global influence through educational policy.
Despite recent contributions like F. Gök's work (2024), social science research on education in Turkey remains fragmented, with limited critical and empirical analysis. Existing studies (Nohl, Akkoyunlu-Wigley, Wigley, 2008) predominantly focus on state reforms, neglecting diverse educational actors' practices. While emerging works increasingly explore socio-economic and cultural transformations linked to educational policies (Emanet 2023, Gök 2024), significant research gaps persist, particularly regarding marginalized populations and intersectionality. Beyond evaluating reforms and persistent challenges (ISCASS, 2019; Osmanoğlu & Lüküslü, 2023), the aim of this conference is to provide a comprehensive overview of Turkey's current education landscape, and to explore structuring historical and contemporary issues. It invites multidisciplinary perspectives (history, social sciences, political sciences, educational studies) to examine the political conditions and effects of school institutions across primary, secondary, and higher education levels.
This conference will explore three main axes:
I. Reforms in the Education System and Socio-Political Reconfigurations
The AKP's educational reforms (of which 2024 Türkiye Maarif Modeli Müfredatları, or 2024 Öğretmenlik Meslek Kanunu are the lastest in a long list) developed within a complex, multidimensional context involving various actors with diverse and shifting interests and perspectives. This first axis explores the reforms through the lens of how institutions intertwine with social and political logics (Gourisse, Erdinç, 2022), focusing on 3 dimensions:
1. Power Vectors: Examining how and with which resources, community associations, religious groups, and economic circles penetrate and consolidate their influence in the education sector. When and how does the government strategically target and encourage specific actors' involvement, and how are international references incorporated into reforms?
2. (Re)configurations of socio-political power: What are the outcomes of the reforms in terms of construction, consolidation, and potential weakening of existing socio-political power structures? Which actors were promoted or marginalized? How have boundaries between public and private, formal and informal education actors been transformed? How does the transnational dimension play a role in these reconfigurations (exemplified by the Maarif Foundation's international takeover of Gülenist schools, Angey, 2022)?
3. Transformation of the education system: How and to what extent is it affected by meeting the expectations of the different interest groups upon which the government relies. How does the recruitment system for educational and administrative staff function? What role do academic criteria or resources play compared (or in relation) to political and/or economic considerations?
II. The political, ideological and identity-related challenges of educational reform in Turkey
This axis explores the ideological and identity dimensions of recent educational reforms in Turkey, examining their impact on pedagogical practices and social dynamics. Since the Republic's founding, the Turkish education system has been a key space for national projects, balancing secular modernization and cultural preservation. While previous research has analyzed state ideology's curriculum effects (Copeaux, 2000; Kaplan, 2006; Caymaz, 2011) and militarism in school textbooks (Altinay, 2004; Kancı, 2007), the AKP-era reforms have been less studied in terms of their (political) socialization processes (Can, 2022; ÖzgÜr, 2012).
1. Identity construction: Our objective is to examine the role of education in identity construction within a context of increasing polarization between secular and religious values. We aim to evaluate how the strengthening of religious education (expansion of imam-hatip schools, revision of school textbooks to reflect a more conservative vision of history and national values, introduction of religious content) signals a potential shift from secularism to religious nationalism (Sen & Starkey, 2019).
2. Curricula: A key focus is analyzing the exclusion of evolutionary theory from primary and secondary science curricula, and its impact on national, ethnic, religious, and gender identity construction. How do curricula, textbooks, and daily practices shape conceptions of national identity, citizenship, and social roles (Aratemur Çimen, Bayhan, 2018)? How do school rituals and practices reproduce, or challenge embedded social hierarchies? What are the effects on gender perceptions and equality? What compromises or resistances emerge among educational actors facing ideological tensions?
3. Profession: The biography and sociological characteristics of teachers in the pre-university educational system, their training and their professional life are elements that are generally marginalized and deserve to be analyzed (Nohl, Somel, 2018).
III. Inequalities in School Pathways and Stratification Dynamics in Turkey’s Education System
This axis explores educational inequalities in today’s Turkey, analyzing interactions between socio-economic, cultural, and institutional dynamics and considering the agency of the pupils and their family.
2. Private/Public sector. The growth of the private sector in both schools and universities suggest the need to observe how public-private relations influence inequalities especially from a territorial and social point of view.
3. Turkish citizens/foreigners : The significant presence of foreigners with international protection status, labor migrants both documented and undocumented, suggests observing how their children are inserted into the educational system, both public and private. Furthermore, the growth of "International schools" aimed at foreign students that equally welcomes the upper-middle class Turkish citizens is a phenomenon that deserves to be analyzed.
4. Gender-based Inequalities: Patriarchal norms, domestic responsibilities, and poverty disproportionately affect girls' education, particularly in marginalized regions (Kırdar, 2009). These disparities persist even in developed areas, influenced by economic and institutional factors (Gumus & Chudgar, 2015). What are the recent developments in addressing intersectional gender inequalities in education, and what outcomes have emerged from efforts to remove barriers for girls in an increasingly conservative sociocultural context?
5. Selection & Meritocracy: The centralized exam system, grounded in multiple-choice assessments, disproportionately favors students with access to economic and cultural capital (Somel, 2019). The transformation of dershanes into private high schools further underscores systemic biases. What family strategies are deployed to navigate this inequitable system? And what are the academic outcomes of a selection mechanism frequently reshaped by governmental policies?
6. Higher Education Massification: Rapid proliferation of public and private universities has increased educational access. However, marginal returns remain low (Polat, 2017), and elite private universities primarily serve wealthy families. This raises critical questions about whether the expansion of higher education reduces or exacerbates existing inequalities, particularly regarding socio-economic accessibility and the quality of education offered.
These dimensions invite critical examination of how institutional structures perpetuate or challenge social stratification in the Turkish education system.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:
POSTDOCTORAL GRANTS AT INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D’ÉTUDES ANATOLIENNES (IFEA)
& SILAHTARAĞA ELECTRIC PLANT ARCHIVE OF ISTANBUL BILGI UNIVERSITY (BILGI)
Description: The Institut français d’études anatoliennes (IFEA) and the Silahtarağa Electric Plant Archive intend to award up to three postdoctoral grants for durations of 3 to 12 months to be held between 1St September 2024 - 31st August 2025. Grants will support research and scholarly publications on the Silahtarağa Electric Plant Archive (Silahtarağa Archive) from a social sciences perspective. The postdoctoral grantee(s), hosted by the Institut français d’études anatoliennes (IFEA), will work closely with the Silahtarağa Electric Plant Archive curatorial team within İstanbul Bilgi University. The grants are made possible thanks to a partnership with the National Library of France (BnF) in the framework of the program Bibliothèques d’Orient supported by The Mellon Foundation.
Context:
IFEA is a French research institute abroad under the joint umbrella of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education and Research and National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is based in İstanbul and specializes in various disciplines of the humanities and social sciences in the Turkish and Ottoman area.
Istanbul Bilgi University (BILGI) is a higher education foundation institution established by the Bilgi Education and Culture Foundation. BILGI has as its object the provision of higher education services by offering a broad spectrum of activities in the fields of teaching, research and technical consultancy by way of the various methods provided for under Turkish legislation. The responsibility for the Old Silahtarağa Electric Plant was granted to BİLGİ in 2004. The facility was renovated and repurposed to be one of the campuses of the University, which still serves this function.
Silahtarağa Electric Plant Archive (Silahtarağa Archive) consists of two million items inherited from the Silahtarağa Electric Plant varying from correspondences, magazines, reports along with architectural and technical drawings, ranging from the establishment of the factory in 1910s to a decade after its closure in 1990s. Reflecting Istanbul's special place in the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey, documents in Silahtarağa Archive offer the opportunity to investigate the city's modernization, urbanization, capital transformation and industrialization processes on sociological, economic and ecological levels. So far documents are classified under 41 categories and written in six different languages with a large number in French. Silahtarağa Archive aims to digitize the archive materials and store digitized documents with the intention of allowing the public to access them at a later stage; another dimension of the work is scientific promotion of the material, through a seminar due to start in 2024 and an international conference planned for 2025.
Eligibility:
- Expertise: The grants are open to holders of a doctoral degree in all relevant disciplines of the humanities and social sciences (history, geography, anthropology, sociology, and political sciences). It is expected that applicants’ education and research areas will be related to the transformation of social and cultural practices brought about by the advent of electricity, the latter’s impact on ecology and the environment, and its role in urban and capital transformation.
- Language Skills: Proficiency in (at least) reading French is required for studying and treating the archival materials; English proficiency would be highly valued for the dissemination of scientific results. (Pre)indermediate level of Turkish is appreciated, but not necessary.
Duration of the grants: Up to three grants will be awarded for periods ranging from 3 to 12 months depending on the scope of the selected research projects and applicants’ workplans.
Amount of the stipends: €1,875 per month all inclusive, with transportation to and from İstanbul, housing and other living expenses, and compulsory insurance (medical, civil liability and, if applicable, repatriation) in Turkey to be covered by the grantees.
Working Conditions: The grantees will have facilitated access to the Santralistanbul campus of Istanbul Bilgi University and will have access to a dedicated workspace within IFEA.
Selection process: Applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of members from IFEA, BILGI and the BnF and evaluated on the basis of the candidates’ academic credentials, language skills, quality of the research project and work plan, and intentions regarding the dissemination of research results.
Application requirements: Applications are to be submitted in French or English to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.. They should include the following documents:
- 1 concise CV (5 pages);
- 1 research project (min 10 pages) detailing the research and the relevance of the Silahtarağa Archive for the project;
- A detailed work plan covering the duration of the grant-holding period;
- A statement of intentions about the dissemination of research results, including the participation to and/or organization of academic events (with details) during the grant duration, and plans for publishing in international peer-reviewed indexed journals (please specify);
- 1 cover letter stating the applicant’s interest for the proposed grant.
Application Deadline: The deadline for applications has been extended to midnight (Istanbul time) on 10 May 2024.
Selection Results Announcement: 01/06/2024
Earliest starting date: 01/09/2024
Latest end date: 31/08/2024
APPEL À CANDIDATURES :
BOURSES POSTDOCTORALES À L'INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D'ÉTUDES ANATOLIENNES (IFEA)
ET AUX ARCHIVES DE LA CENTRALE ÉLECTRIQUE DE SILAHTARAĞA
DE L'UNIVERSITÉ BILGI D'ISTANBUL (BILGI)
Description : L’Institut Français d’Etudes Anatoliennes et les archives de la centrale électrique de Silahtarağa (Istanbul, Turquie) proposent l’attribution d’une à trois bourses de recherche postdoctorales pour une durée de 3 à 12 mois entre le 1er septembre 2024 et le 31 août 2025. Ces bourses, qui constituent une aide à la recherche et à la rédaction de travaux scientifiques, sont destinées à favoriser l’étude et le traitement du fonds des Archives de la centrale électrique de Silahtarağa (Archive de Silahtarağa) sous l’angle des sciences sociales. Le ou les boursiers postdoctoraux, hébergés par l'Institut français d'études anatoliennes (IFEA), travailleront en étroite collaboration avec l'équipe de conservation des Archives de la centrale électrique de Silahtarağa au sein de l'Université Bilgi d'Istanbul. Ces bourses sont rendues possibles grâce à un partenariat avec la Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) dans le cadre du programme Bibliothèques d'Orient bénéficiant du soutien de la Fondation Mellon.
Contexte :
L'IFEA est un institut de recherche français à l'étranger placé sous l'égide conjointe du ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, du ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche et du Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). Il est basé à Istanbul et est spécialisé dans diverses disciplines des sciences humaines et sociales portant sur l’espace turc et ottoman.
L'Université Istanbul Bilgi (BILGI) est un établissement d'enseignement supérieur établie par la Fondation Bilgi pour l'Éducation et la Culture. BILGI a pour objet la fourniture de services d'enseignement supérieur en proposant un large éventail d'activités dans les domaines de l'enseignement, de la recherche et du conseil technique, conformément à la législation turque. La responsabilité de l'ancienne centrale électrique de Silahtarağa a été confiée à BİLGİ en 2004. Les bâtiments ont été rénovés et constituent encore à ce jour l’un des campus de l'université.
Les Archives de la centrale électrique de Silahtarağa (Archive de Silahtarağa) comprennent deux millions de documents allant de correspondances, magazines, rapports, à des dessins architecturaux et techniques, et ce depuis la création de l'usine dans les années 1910 jusqu'à une décennie après sa fermeture dans les années 1990. Reflétant la place particulière d'Istanbul dans la transition de l'Empire ottoman à la République de Turquie, les documents des Archives de Silahtarağa offrent l'opportunité d'étudier la modernisation de la ville et son urbanisation, la transformation du capital, l’industrialisation ainsi que les processus sociologiques, économiques et écologiques qui y sont associés. Actuellement, les documents sont classés en 41 catégories et rédigés dans six langues différentes, dont un grand nombre en français. Le centre de conservation des Archives de Silahtarağa a pour mission de numériser ce fonds et d’en conserver les copies numériques en vue d’en permettre, à terme, l’accès au public ; il a également pour objectif la valorisation scientifique des documents dont via un séminaire devant être lancé en 2024 et une conférence internationale prévue pour 2025.
Conditions d’éligibilité :
- Expertise : Les bourses sont ouvertes aux titulaires d'un doctorat dans toutes les disciplines pertinentes des sciences humaines et sociales (histoire, géographie, anthropologie, sociologie et sciences politiques). Il est attendu que le cursus et les domaines de recherche des candidats soient en lien avec la transformation des pratiques sociales et culturelles engendrées par l'avènement de l'électricité, l’impact de cette dernière sur l'écologie et l'environnement, ainsi qu’avec son rôle dans les transformations urbaine et économique.
- Compétences linguistiques : Une maîtrise du français (au moins de la lecture) est requise pour l'étude et le traitement des documents d'archives ; la maîtrise de l'anglais serait très appréciée pour la diffusion des résultats scientifiques. Un niveau (pré)intermédiaire de turc est apprécié, mais non nécessaire.
Durée des bourses : Une à trois bourses seront attribuées pour des périodes allant de 3 à 12 mois en fonction de l’étendue des projets de recherche sélectionnés et des plans de travail des candidats.
Montant de la bourse : 1 875 € par mois, tous frais compris ; le transport aller-retour vers Istanbul, le logement et autres dépenses de subsistance, ainsi que les assurances obligatoires en Turquie (médicale, responsabilité civile, rapatriement s’il y a lieu), seront à la charge des boursiers.
Conditions de travail : Les boursiers auront un accès facilité au campus de Santralİstanbul de l'Université Bilgi d'Istanbul et disposeront d'un espace de travail dédié au sein de l'IFEA.
Processus de sélection : Les candidatures seront évaluées par un comité composé de membres des trois institutions partenaires (IFEA, BILGI et BnF) sur la base des titres académiques des candidats, de leurs compétences linguistiques, de la qualité du projet de recherche et du plan de travail, ainsi que des intentions concernant la diffusion des résultats de la recherche.
Eléments constitutifs du dossier : Les candidatures, rédigées en français ou anglais, sont à envoyer à Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.. Elles incluront les pièces suivantes :
- 1 CV concis (5 pages) ;
- 1 projet de recherche (minimum 10 pages) précisant le projet et l’intérêt de l’étude des Archives de Silahtarağa pour la recherche envisagée ;
- Un plan de travail détaillé pour la durée de la période d’attribution de la bourse ;
- Une déclaration d'intentions concernant la diffusion des résultats de la recherche, y compris via la participation à des manifestations scientifiques ou l’organisation de telles manifestations pendant la durée de la bourse (avec détails) ainsi que les projets de publication dans des revues internationales à comité de lecture (merci de spécifier) ;
- 1 lettre de motivation précisant les intérêts de la candidate ou du candidat pour la bourse proposée.
Date limite de réception des candidatures : La date limite pour le dépôt des candidatures est étendue au 10 mai 2024 à minuit (heure d’Istanbul).
Annonce des résultats : le 01/06/2024
Début de la période d’attribution : au plus tôt le 01/09/2024
Fin de la période d’attribution : au plus tard le 31/08/2024
