Transformation from Kemalism to Post- Kemalist era in Turkish policy

The aim of this study, titled as ?Transformation from Kemalism to Post-Kemalist Era in Turkish Policy,? is to discuss the restructuring of fundamental identity paradigm materialized in the historical process from Turkey's foundation to 2000's first decade. The study approaches Kemalism as a state identity of the Turkish Republic and basically reduces it to two notions: Nationalism and civilizationalism (or Secularism and Westernism). Accordingly, fragmentation in the identity paradigm discussed in parallel with nationalism and secularism. In the first part, which analyses Kemalist identity in an effort to give a clear background of Kemalism, tries to find traces of secularism in institutional amendments, in ideational process and in the process of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire.This study frames Kemalism with a specific paradigm, modernization theory. Positivism constitutes epistemological presumptions of that theory, structural functionality and sociological and progressionalism as its theoretical cognition world. In this context, external reason of the fragmentation in Kemalist identity paradigm in Turkey, ascertained as getting into a grave crisis each of those three in above mentioned modernization theory. In a single party or ?party-state integration? period, which centered on setting up a nationalist and civilizationist (secular, westernist) nation, built Kemalist text set the goal of fabricating ?westernist Turk?. Founder components of this identity are westernism (secularism) and (ethnic-territorial) Turkism.Second part of the study analyzes Post-Kemalist period, which began in the 1980s when Kemalist policies were began to be questioned in the field of activity with the Özal period (1983-89 Prime Ministry, 1989-93 Presidency) in the 1980s. The Özal leadership established as the first and only leadership change in Turkish policy. Parameters of this change clearly appeared in breakaway from Kemalist ethnic policies. In the wake of Özal period, Justice and Development Party (AK Party)?s administration has been touched on as a symbol of Post-Kemalist era's political foundation. Coming from a faraway-periphery (Islamist), this movement found the opportunity of reorganizing the center through a long-lasting period in power from November 2002 to nowadays, seems to put into practice activities symbolizing disintegration of the Kemalist ethnic policy in first days of 2009.Keywords: Kemalism, Nationalism, Secularism, Özal, Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Kurdish Question, Political Islam, Neo-Ottomanism.