Left intellectuals and politics in the 1960's: Yaşar Kemal and Çetin Altan

After the Constitutional of 1961 was formed, left-wing movements and socialist trends gained visibility in the field of civil society and in the political field. During this period, the left-wing movement which especially focused on the achievements of the Constitutional of 1961, attached great importance to the notion of development. The left-wing movements and socialist trends which attempted to explain the procedure of development in Turkey made a new remark on the notions of statism, populism, and nationalism in the context of development. Yön and Worker's Party of Turkey (TİP) which are prominent trends in the left/socialist ideas, proposed a procedure of development which is not a capitalist way for Turkey. In addition to this, a wide community of left/socialist intellectuals took place within these two movements. In this study, it will be analyzed with the thought of development of Yaşar Kemal, who is a writer and a journalist, and Çetin Altan who both became prominent in the 1960s, and in parallel with this, upon which factors these two writers established a bond with left-wing politics. In accordance with this purpose, it will be revealed how Yaşar Kemal and Çetin Altan have given insight into the notions of statism, populism, and nationalism. In this direction, before passing on to the parts which mention Yaşar Kemal and Çetin Altan, the discourse of Yön Dergisi and Worker's Party of Turkey (TİP) will be included and the discourse of these two sides will be highlighted. In addition to the articles of Yaşar Kemal and Çetin Altan, especially in Yön and Ant magazine, the reference will be made to their books which are about the themes of development, statism, populism, and nationalism in the 1960s. Keywords: Development, Left-Socialist Politics, Yaşar Kemal, Çetin Altan, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-Imperialism