Cultural policies in teaching Turkish as a foreign language

This study focuses on how cultural diplomacy, an approach to public diplomacy that utilizes cultural elements, employs language as a tool. It is known that language is one of the most important means of communication and acculturation of people as social beings. Motivated by this awareness, states have started to use soft power effectively through cultural diplomacy; they have accelerated language teaching activities through cultural diplomacy actors and expanded their policies on the issue. Language teaching activities are carried out through exchange programs, scholarships, and cultural centers while also being supported through symposiums, workshops, conferences, financial support, and cultural trips. Despite the increasing significance of this issue, it has not yet been sufficiently studied from an academic approach. In this context, this study aims to examine the reflection of Türkiye's cultural policy on teaching Turkish as a foreign language from a comprehensive perspective. Following a qualitative research method, the study utilizes document analysis as one of the qualitative information-gathering methods. Accordingly, the study first discusses soft power, its sources, and how Türkiye deploys these sources in its public diplomacy. Then, it analyzes cultural diplomacy actors such as the Ministry of National Education (MoNE), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), the Turkish Maarif Foundation (TMV), the Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) through their activities of teaching Turkish as a foreign language. The activities of these institutions are assessed by analyzing reports, regulations, bulletins, and press coverage, available in both printed and electronic formats. The study reveals that Türkiye has gained a certain institutional structure in cultural diplomacy, but there are still issues that need to be resolved or improved. Specifically, the research shows that although Türkiye's cultural diplomacy actors prioritize the teaching of Turkish as a foreign language, the absence of a standardized institutional program gives rise to diverse challenges.