Criticism of religion in Türkiye's modernization: The case of Aziz Nesin

Turkey's modernization began with the modernization movements of the late Ottoman period and impacted every aspect of life, beginning with the proclamation of the Republic and the subsequent reforms. These reforms also intervened in religious life, affecting many aspects such as dress, education, religious venues, and publications. This process also paved the way for the development of a critical discourse in literature. One of the most important representatives of this movement was Aziz Nesin, author of over one hundred books. This study focuses on passages in Aziz Nesin's works that he associates with religion, attempting to uncover points of religious criticism. The study covers the historical period from Nesin's birth to his death, encompassing the proclamation of the Republic. Using discourse analysis, the research examines how Nesin constructed his critique of religion through rhetorical strategies such as irony, humor, and characterization in his texts. The historical framework of the research begins with the proclamation of the Republic and is limited to modernization movements that impacted religious life, such as Westernization, Turkism, secularism, education, and the alphabet reform. The criticisms directed at religion in Nesin's books, which constitute the main part of the study, were examined in two separate categories: intellectual and fictional works, due to the consequences of stylistic differences. It was determined that he used humorous language in his works and offered serious critiques of traditional beliefs and understandings in society. The study examined Nesin's conceptions of elements related to faith, such as religion, God, and death. It was determined that Nesin's criticisms of religion focused on the beliefs of the people in Turkey, religious authority, traditional religious understanding, polygamy in Islam, Islam's conception of women, and the tradition of circumcision. It was concluded that these criticisms were directed at the negative behaviors of Muslims rather than Islam itself. The study revealed that Nesin's conceptions and criticisms of morality, politics, and science, in connection with religious discourse, contradicted Muslims' moral attitudes and beliefs. Nesin's criticisms of religion and politics have been identified as being about the government's unfair, self-serving, and exploitative use of religion. Nesin's conception of God, as reflected in his intellectual works, suggests that he maintains a passive atheist stance. He attributed the natural evils he was unable to overcome as a child to God, leading him to enter a period of denial of God in adulthood.