The appropriation of the idea of Islamic economics in the Turkish economic thought of the Republican period: The case of the Hareket and Diriliş journals

Throughout history, economics has played a decisive role in the survival of societies and the formation of social structure. This role has become more visible, especially in the modern period; the superiority of the West in the economic field has accelerated the Westernization tendencies in many societies. In the Ottoman-Turkish society, this tendency has brought economic system discussions to the forefront, especially in the post-Tanzimat period. The fact that economic models of Western origin caused various problems in Islamic societies brought about the search for alternative systems based on Islamic values. In this context, the Islamic economic thought, whose foundations were laid in the Indian subcontinent in the first half of the 20th century, began to be discussed in Turkey from the 1950s onwards; in later periods, it gained a more systematic structure with the contributions of Muslim Turkish thinkers. This development is of great importance in terms of understanding the place and meaning of Islamic economic thought in Turkey. The main motivation of this study is to determine the original meaning framework that Islamic economic thought has gained in the Turkish intellectual ground. In this context, the study aims to analyze the views of the Hareket and Diriliş schools, which are prominent in conservative thought movements, and the founders of these schools, Nurettin Topçu and Sezai Karakoç, on Islamic economic thought. The analysis reveals how Islamic economics is conceptualized in these thought circles, how it is associated with historical issues, and what kind of solution proposals are developed. The database of the study consists of the Hareket and Diriliş journals, which are the main publications of the said thought circles. In terms of methodology, the content analysis method has been adopted. A systematic scan has been conducted for all issues of the journals; in the texts discussed in the economic context, the discourses, comments, and suggestions of the authors have been analyzed in detail. This study seeks to answer the question, "Has Islamic economic thought found a place in Turkish economic thought only as a translation movement or has it gained a new meaning through original interpretations?" The basic hypothesis of the study is that the idea of Islamic economics developed in line with the Hareket and Diriliş schools has gained an original spirit by being reinterpreted without being directly quoted in Turkish economic thought. The basic finding of the study is that the Islamic economic model, proposed as an alternative to capitalist economic theory, has gained a unique place in Turkish economic thought by being reconstructed with original concepts such as "Anatolian Socialism" and "Spirit of Resurrection".