1971/10/01 by Michael E. Meeker · 2 citations
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Cultural and Sociopolitical Studies #Ottoman Empire History and Society #Linguistics and Cultural Studies #Westernization #Polity #Vitality #Variety (cybernetics) #Ethnic group #Population #Geography #Development economics #Diversity (politics) #Political science #History #Sociology #Demography #Law #Modernization theory
paper · doi:10.1017/s002074380000129x
openalex publication_date 1971/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
The social and cultural composition of Turkey's provincial society is still poorly understood, not only in the West, but in Turkey itself. Because of this situation, contemporary accounts of Turkish society have a tendency to underestimate the variety of provincial life and to discount the importance of this variety for the nation as a whole. Some events in recent decades, it is true, have certainly eroded the diversity of provincial society. The population exchanges after World War I virtually removed the entire Christian population from Asia Minor. As well, the development of a national polity and the accompanying acceleration of westernization established a new national culture and society which has affected even the most remote areas of the country. Despite this trend toward a greater uniformity, local traditions and local loyalties still retain a vitality that is seldom fully appreciated.