Project description
The rise and fall of international education in post-Ottoman Turkey
In post-Ottoman Turkey, education was driven by nationalism. How were schools with internationalist ideals affected by this westernising yet ethnocentric national ideology? The EU-funded ROBERT project aims to shed light on this understudied aspect of Turkish nationalism and education in the early Kemalist era. Analyses of the adjustment strategies and conflicts due to the international education provided at Istanbul’s Robert College clashing with post-Ottoman Turkey’s nation-building efforts will provide insight into the current conservative government’s backlash against western modernity. It will also offer a better understanding of the continuity between today’s Islamist traditionalism and the alleged secularism of Kemalism, as regards tolerance of ethnic and religious diversity.
Objective
"The purpose of this project is to analyze the conflicts and strategies of adjustment emanating from the encounter of international education, seeking to overcome national bias, with nation building efforts in post-Ottoman Turkey. Efforts to imbue students with a sense of internationalism in the aftermath of WW1 had to be reconciled with those of emerging nation states. Using the case of Robert College, an American private institution in Istanbul, which aimed to foster a future social and political elite of a native student body drawn from different ethnic and religious communities in Turkey, I will shed light on an understudied aspect of Turkish nationalism and education in the early Kemalist era, namely the relation between this institution's internationalist ideals and the tenets of a Westernizing yet ethnocentric national ideology. The never before analyzed material is drawn from the archives of Robert College as well as private collections of its teaching staff. Using this material, I will address the educational philosophy and intentions of the faculty, the strategies and arguments developed in its dealings with Turkish authorities, and the reasons for the demise of international education in Turkey as well as students' understanding of internationalism, patriotism and modernization. This is a perspective that has been largely absent in scholarship on this critical phase of modern Turkish history, owing to the hegemony of Kemalist discourse during the interwar years. The project thus contributes new knowledge and a more nuanced understanding of the roots of the current AKP government's backlash against ""Western"" modernity, and the continuity between today's Islamist traditionalism and the alleged secularism of Kemalism, with regard to tolerance of ethnic and religious diversity. As an internationally recognized scholar of the legacies of late Ottoman mass violence, nationalism and the use of history, I am well suited to see this project through."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- social sciences sociology ideologies
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-CAR - CAR – Career Restart panel
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.