The People’s Houses as a Model of Non-Formal Education in Turkey (1932-1951)

Authors : Behçet Kemal YEŞİLBURSA

Pages : 1-17

Doi:10.17518/canakkalearastirmalari.475812

View : 27 | Download : 12

Publication Date : 2018-10-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The purpose of this paper is to give a factual history of the establishment of the Houses.  The People’s Houses insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Halkevleri); were founded in 1932 as cultural and political  centres with the aim of educating the people in accordance with the nationalist,  secularist and populist ideas of the new Republic. Their specific aim was to establish  and reinforce a national culture based on Turkish folklore, teach the Republican  principles, raise literacy rates and improve the living standards of the people. After  nearly two decades of functioning, the People’s Houses were closed in 1951 by the  Democrat Party. Although the People’s Houses were organised and conducted by the  Republican People’s Party, the only political party in modern Turkey until 1946, they  did not represent such a complete innovation in Turkish life as was often assumed.  After the Young Turk revolution in 1908, thirteen social centres, called “Türk Ocağı”  or “Turkish Hearth”, were established in various parts of the country to educate the  common people in Turkish culture. Not all of these centres were successful, according  to any standard; and they fell far short of the standard later set by the People’s Party.  But those which survived the First World War were taken over by the People’s Party in  1923 and, after a complete reorganisation, renamed People’s Houses in 1932. Since  they were organs of a political party, the People’s Houses were primarily centres of  political propaganda. However, it must be remembered that the propaganda of the  People’s Party was much wider in scope than that of a political party operating in a  country with is a tradition of party conflict. Namely, the politics of the People’s Party  were essentially national politics; its propaganda, rather than being directed to the  criticism and ousting of other parties, aimed exclusively at national consolidation.  In spite of the greatest temptations, the new Turkish Republic refused to abandon  this enlightened view of propaganda, as testified by the multifarious activities of  the People’s Houses. The Halkevleri played an enormous role in the life of the new  Turkish republic. If not in their origin, then in their activities, and even more so in  their achievements, they were unique and exemplary institutions, without which even  so great a leader as Ataturk might have been unable to carry out the far-reaching  changes that he did.
Keywords : Peoples Houses, Peoples Halls, Turkish Hearths, Halkevleri, Türk Ocakları