‘Wardrobe Modernity’: Western Attire as a Tool of Modernization in Turkey

Developmental Idealism

“…Developmental idealism has been an important force in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey through most of the 19 th and 20 th centuries (Kavas and Thornton 2013; Kavas 2015). During this period, elites in the Empire and the Republic tended to believe that their country was developmentally behind the countries of western Europe and needed to catch up.…”

“…DI and the adoption of a broad array of ‘modern’ social structures and behaviors were seen as the route to progress. As early as the beginning of the 19 th century, Ottoman leaders recruited experts and teachers from Europe and sent students to Europe to obtain knowledge and expertise to assist in the Ottoman modernization drive (Kavas 2015). …”

“…The modernization effort in the Ottoman Empire began with efforts to reform the military along western European lines (Kavas 2015; Kavas and Thornton 2013), and was followed by political, administrative, and educational reforms that included the teaching of science and Western languages in secondary schools (Kavas 2015; Kavas and Thornton 2013). …”

“…The early Republican reformers also believed that building modernity in Turkey required movement toward secularization and away from Islam (Kavas 2015; Kandiyoti 1991; Kasaba 1997; Arat 1997; Okyar 1984). This was manifest in the abolition of the caliphate, the closing of religious schools, and the establishment of secular schools.…”

“…For example, Kavas (2015) demonstrated how developmental idealism has influenced changing clothing styles in Turkey, and Thornton and colleagues (2014) have found acceptance for developmental idealism beliefs about freedom, democracy, and human rights among people in three Middle Eastern countries, where one might expect considerable resistance to foreign ideas (e.g., Huntington 1996). …”