A CRITICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF ZAFER TOPRAK’S HISTORICAL STUDIES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF THE MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY TÜLAY YILMAZ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY SEPTEMBER 2017 PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Tülay Yılmaz Signature : iii ABSTRACT A CRITICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF ZAFER TOPRAK’S HISTORICAL STUDIES Yılmaz, Tülay MA., Department of History Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ferdan Ergut September 2017, 287 pages The main goal of this study is to examine Zafer Toprak’s methodological approach to historical studies. Toprak’s work has influenced many areas of academic disciplines such as economic and social history writing. His studies focused especially on the modernization era and the Republican period of Turkey. He stands apart from historians who came before him in respect to his approach toward social and economic life of the late Ottoman era and the early Republican period. His studies on the period of CUP (Committee of Union and Progress) demonstrate clearly how Turkish politics and society began to be shaped in a modern sense. For this thesis, first his studies on the economic history of Turkey will be reviewed in detail, with emphasis on his arguments and contribution to that field. Then, his studies on populism, feminism and anthropology will be presented in summary. In this context, his methodological perspective on historiography will be examined through the lens of his extensive historical studies. In addition, his shortcomings and contributions to these fields will be analyzed. Keywords: Historiography, Zafer Toprak, Economic History, Social History, Assessment of a Historian iv ÖZ ZAFER TOPRAK TARİHÇİLİĞİNİN ELEŞTİREL VE METODOLOJİK BİR DEĞERLENDİRMESİ Yılmaz, Tülay Yüksek Lisans, Tarih Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ferdan Ergut Eylül 2017, 287 sayfa Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, Zafer Toprak’ın tarih çalışmaları üzerinden metodolojik yaklaşımını incelemektir. Toprak’ın tarihle ilgili çalışmaları, ekonomik ve sosyal tarih alanı içerisinde birçok farklı alana yayılmıştır. Toprak’ın çalışmaları özellikle modernleşme ve Cumhuriyet dönemi Türkiye’si üzerine yoğunlaşmaktadır. Geç Osmanlı ve erken Cumhuriyet döneminin sosyal ve ekonomik hayatına olan yaklaşımı açısından kendisinden önceki tarihçilerden ayrılmaktadır. Toprak’ın çalışmaları, özellikle İTC (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti) ve Cumhuriyet dönemi Türk siyasetinin ve toplumunun modern anlamda nasıl şekillendiğini açıkça gösteren bir örnektir. İlk olarak, ekonomi tarihi alanındaki çalışmaları, bu konudaki argümanları ve çalışmalarının ışığında detaylı bir şekilde incelenecektir ve Türkiye ekonomi tarihi alanına katkıları vurgulanacaktır. Daha sonra, popülizm, feminizm ve antropoloji çalışmaları argümanlarının bir özeti olarak sunulacaktır. Bu bağlamda, Toprak’ın tarihi çalışmalar üzerindeki metodolojik tavrı, geniş kapsamlı tarihî çalışmaları ışığında incelenecektir. Ayrıca, bu alanlardaki eksiklikleri ve katkıları analiz edilecektir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Tarih Yazımı, Zafer Toprak, Ekonomi Tarihi, Sosyal Tarih, Bir Tarihçinin Değerlendirmesi v DEDICATION To my love vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Prof. Dr. Ferdan Ergut, for his guidance, advices, criticism, encouragement and the opportunity of benefiting from his immense knowledge. Besides my supervisor, I would like to send my deepest love to Tuncer Evci, for never letting me feel alone in this challenging process. His love and support gave me strength and courage while conducting this work. I also feel obliged to serve my kindest appreciation to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Deniz Taner Kılınçoğlu for his constructive suggestions, and comments. I also thank my brother Latif Yılmaz for his comments and guidance throughout my thesis process. Finally, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to the people who have helped and supported me throughout my thesis. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................. v DEDICATION ............................................................................................................ vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... xi CHAPTER .................................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 2. BIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................... 7 2.1. TOPRAK’S EARLY ACADEMIC CAREER .............................................. 7 2.2. TOPRAK’S STUDIES AFTER THE 1990s ............................................... 14 2.3. TOPRAK’S PUBLICATION AND ACADEMIC LIFE............................. 19 3. ECONOMIC HISTORY .................................................................................... 27 3.1. A SHORT LOOK AT THE HISTORICAL APPROACHES AND DEBATES ON ECONOMIC HISTORY IN TURKEY ........................................ 27 3.1.1. Debates on Economic History in Turkey .................................................... 32 3.2. ECONOMIC THOUGHT............................................................................ 43 3.2.1. Corporatism ................................................................................................. 49 3.3. NATIONAL ECONOMY ........................................................................... 51 3.3.1. Foreign Exchange in the Ottoman Empire .................................................. 64 3.4. BANKING SYSTEM .................................................................................. 66 3.5. LABOR ........................................................................................................ 72 3.5.1. The Development of Workers’ Consciousness and Strikes......................... 76 3.5.2. Regulation of Law for Workers ................................................................... 83 3.5.3. Trade Union Organizations ......................................................................... 85 3.5.4. Debate about Ta’til-i Eşgal Law .................................................................. 87 3.5.5. The Attempt of Industrial Journal to Develop Worker’s Awareness (Sanay-i Dergisi) ................................................................................................................... 88 3.5.6. Toprak’s View on Labor .............................................................................. 89 4. SOCIAL HISTORY ........................................................................................... 91 viii 4.1. POPULISM ................................................................................................. 91 4.1.1. The Effect Of Narodnik Movement Of Russia In Turkish Populism .......... 93 4.1.2. Sociology, Journalism and Ideology ........................................................... 98 4.1.3. Women’s Roles in Populism ..................................................................... 108 4.1.4. Populism and Solidarism ........................................................................... 109 4.2. FEMINISM ............................................................................................... 114 4.2.1. Debates about Equality of Women ............................................................ 116 4.2.2. Women's and Child's Rights in the Field of Labor .................................... 120 4.2.3. Modernization in Education and Clothes .................................................. 121 4.2.4. Women and Family ................................................................................... 125 4.2.5. Social Change and Its Effects on Magazines ............................................ 126 4.2.6. Marxist Approach on Feminism ................................................................ 129 4.2.7. Women Studies In Turkey ......................................................................... 131 4.3. ANTHROPOLOGY .................................................................................. 140 4.3.1. Mustafa Kemal’s Approach to History and Anthropology ....................... 143 4.3.2. Anthropological Studies of the Period ...................................................... 147 4.3.3. The Push for Quantification in the Republican Era................................... 155 4.3.4. Anthropological Discrimination Against Women ..................................... 156 4.3.5. Darwinist Curriculum in Schools .............................................................. 158 4.3.6. The Sun-Language