An outside look at the Turkish reform: The Medeniyet newspaper

The modernization process and the reform movement started in 1923 with the proclamation of the Republic in Turkey did not only affect the Turks of Turkey but the Turks of Bulgaria. The newspapers published by the Turks of Bulgaria during these years featured the developments in Turkey. The Medeniyet Newspaper is one of these newspapers. The newspaper contains many news, analyses, and criticisms about the Turkish reform and the changes in Turkey. This thesis aimed to understand the rationale of the criticisms directed towards the Turkish reform through discourse analysis of the related articles in the Medeniyet Newspaper. Accordingly, it was understood that the main reason for the newspaper's criticism is the imagination of civilization and the value and role attributed to religion in the formation and preservation of civilization. According to this understanding, during the modernization process, the reorganization of political and social life according to the principle of laicism was criticized. Thus, the principle of laicism was at the core of criticism. It is not possible to see similar criticisms in newspapers of the period in Turkey because the press was kept under control by the laws and regulations. For this reason, the Medeniyet Newspaper is an important source in this regard and its cultural, political, historical, social, and religious writings enable a sociological analysis.