American Studies in Turkey during the “Cultural” Cold War

Abstract

A BSTRACT This essay is a politico-cultural survey of the "American Studies" discipline in the United States and abroad, with special reference to Turkey. Against the background of extended relations with the United States during the Cold War period, the field in Turkey developed through bilateral efforts. While the initiative was an invaluable part of US public diplomacy to win hearts and minds, the reasons for the flourishing of American Language (later Culture) and Literature programs in Turkey were, and still are, mainly non-ideological for Turkish students and scholars.The Cold War was an era during which the United States made use of political, economic, and military means for national security purposes. However, tactics employed to contain the Soviet threat also included a cultural facet. Cultural propaganda-that is, promotion of "Americanism"-became a crucial part of "public diplomacy" to win over the hearts and minds of people both at home and abroad. Hence, the "Cold War" assumed the form of "cultural warfare" in which American values such as liberalism and individualism spread throughout the world, mainly through media and education. This essay focuses on the latter strategy. The main argument is that the US government, in coordination with several foundations and associations, sought to guarantee allies for its cause by celebrating Americanism through educational programs, especially at the university level. Although this strategy embodied both national and international dimensions, the present study highlights the second aspect, with special reference to Turkey. Firstly, it provides background information as to how "American Studies" as a discipline appeared in the United States; next, it focuses upon American Language and Literature departments (later American Culture and Literature) in Turkey as a reflection of this development. The article highlights the interrelatedness of politics and culture, as well as politics and education in the pursuit of the national interest at a time of high tension. It is an account of how culture was granted seminal status as an element of "soft power" in order to achieve victory through ideological attraction.

How to be a good guest: American ethnographers in Turkey in the long 1968

“…The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations worked together with governments on educational reform projects. They funded and/or supervised, to name but a few, the establishment of new 'science high schools' , business administration programmes founded as joint projects (Erdem & Rose 2000;Erken 2018;Garlitz 2013;Örnek 2013;Pakin 2008). These endeavours enabled extensive academic exchanges and contributed to the institutionalization of Ottoman, Turkish, and Middle Eastern studies in the United States (Örnek 2012).…”

Soğuk Savaş Düzeninin Sosyal Politikaları: Bir Yumuşak Güç Unsuru Olarak Yakın ve Orta Doğu Çalışma Enstitüsü ve Türkiye’nin Bölgesel Rolü

“…Örnek'in bahsettiği Türkiye ve Orta Doğu Amme İdaresi Enstitüsü (TODAİE) bu türden kuruluşların başında gelmektedir ki TODAİE'nin Latin Amerika bölgesine yönelik Brezilya' da bir muadilinin bulunması da bu çalışmanın başında tartışıldığı üzere bu türden kurumların aynı zamanda bir uluslararası düzen unsuru olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır (Örnek, s.953). Bunun yanı sıra ABD, Pakin'in bahsettiği üzere Türkiye ve bölge ülkelerinde liberal düzenin fikri ve iktisadi liderlerini yetiştirmek üzere ikili kültürel değişim ve eğitim programlarını (Pakin, 2008), ideolojiyi kitleselleştirmek için de çeşitli yayın çalışmalarını desteklemiştir (Örnek, 2013, s.131-157).…”

International trust and public diplomacy

“…Another reason for the success of the film project may be that the film industries in the USA and Turkey have a long shared history, so this film-related freedom of expression program did not create the suspicion that similar projects might have done in other countries. In short, Turkey has for decades welcomed Hollywood movies (Sari Karademir, 2012) and American Studies programs (Pakin, 2008). Sari Karademir (2012: 635) writes about the political sentiment in Turkey in the years after World War II that the 'US was an attractive model for Turkey's ongoing project of modernization and Westernization [--] The US became so attractive to Turkish politicians that transforming Turkey into a "little America" became non-partisan state Where they differ, according to that map, is on the dimension of survival values vs. selfexpression values.…”

“…Also, many Turkish films produced during the Cold War adopted the American movie style and storylines. Pakin (2008) writes that American Culture and Literature departments have been ‘flourishing in Turkey’ and that in the 1980s Turkey had ‘a newly rich class almost obsessed with the American lifestyle.’…”