Transformation of left values from the perspective of individuals participating in the Turkish socialist movement

This study emphasizes that the meanings that individuals who participated in the socialist movement between 1960 and 1980 attributed to left values changed both in their daily life practices and in connection with social developments. At this point, the study aims to learn about the change of values in the period from the period when individuals were active in organized struggle to the present day, through the Turkish left. It tries to reveal how, why and in what way the values defended by individuals have changed from past to present. Using a qualitative research type for this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants selected by snowball sampling method. Since the data are based on experiences and memories of the present and the past, narrative and life history/story were used as qualitative research designs. The data obtained is based on (i) motivations for individuals to participate in socialist politics (ii) through the life stories of individuals who took part in socialist politics before 1980; the factors affecting the change of their perspective on left-wing values over the historical process (iii) a new construction process brought about by the changes in meaning attributed to left-wing values in the daily lives of individuals (iv) reveals the patterns and dynamics of the change in the social realities that individuals have acquired from their first socialization process to the present, and their relationship with the developments in social conditions and political struggle practices. Previous studies on this subject were generally conducted in a memoir format through individuals' political participation in the past. This study examines the past experiences of the individuals/generation who were in different left fractions in the socialist movement between 1960 and 1980 and witnessed the period, regarding left values, and how they evaluate these experiences today, through a historical comparison. Keywords: The Left, Left Values, Socialist Movement, Change