Culturel policies and diplomacy practises of Turkey in the context of folkloristics

As in every period of political rupture or revolution, the pressure of industrialized powers, which started in the 17th century and took effect in the 18th century, directly affected the cultures of the societies exposed to this situation. In the historical process, the hegemony established by Western powers over weak societies and countries in relation to colonialist activities since the 18th century has been built on the change and transformation of culture. In this regard, hegemony cannot be ignored in the construction processes of nation-states. It becomes easier to achieve predetermined goals in the cultural field with policies developed against hegemony. Cultural policy, as in other fields, is seen as official programs that protect and develop the field in question and ensure the implementation of practices. In addition, in determining the foreign policies of countries, the third basis, in addition to their military and economic powers, are national cultural elements. In this context, cultural diplomacy practices are of vital importance in the fight of Turkish culture against globalization and in the protection and survival of national culture. In this study, the cultural policies established by governments since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey were examined and the cultural diplomacy practices in the fields of language, education and culture, which were initiated in the Republic of Turkey at the end of the 20th century, were evaluated in the light of the methods and methods of the Turkish folklore discipline. The fact that there is no study at the doctoral level yet on working in the discipline of Turkish folklore has been effective in the realization of this thesis. With this study, which will be considered the first in the field, the subjects and concepts discussed from the perspectives of many disciplines are emphasized; Culture, cultural policy, cultural diplomacy issues and Turkey's activities were discussed with a holistic approach. Being an example for studies to be carried out in the following years was accepted as one of the motivations for conducting the study. Keywords: Culture, Cultural policy, Cultural diplomacy, Cultural interaction, Turkish folklore, Republic of Turkey.