A Citizen Child in Nation-State Model: Küçük Durmuş

Become a nation and nation-building is a social process. This phase also form an important basis for the nation-state model. It can be determined that this transformation was used for the rise of the modern Turkish state by various approaches which are socio-cultural and military basis.It is observed that through works of art and literature that are the part of cultural change that we focus on, are blessed power and exalted the thought of nation. It is seen that the works of literature, written in order to create the consciousness of national identity and to ensure individuals to see themselves as the common members of a community, are used to build the nation states of the 19th century.It can be say that novels function as a user guide of designed people and society, in the point of creation of modern identity and spread the reforms, in order to Turkey s transition to nation-state. In this respect, what is expected of also the artists is that they support the new order.In this phase of support, the point both the system and the artists put particular emphasis on is children. The perception of “ideal Turkish child” has been reformulated to a large extent on citizenship. As a citizen, entrepreneurs and soldier, children are the most important part of family, state and society. In the Republic Era, the perception of desired child consist of diligent individuals who got rid of being Easterner, have the ideal to rise to the high level of civilization of the West, adhere to the values and reforms of Republic and preserve “image of founding / protective Gazi” on the way to reach modernization and development goals.From how this new generation should use public spaces, to sense of dress, from etiquette to moral perception, from cleanliness to all elements that provide civilization, everything has been determined. In addition, as part of the national consciousness and the idea of creating Republican children, especially was emphasis on education. The idea of enlightening the villages of the schooled children by getting rid of the ignorance, which is damages the dignity of humanity is primarily among the studied subjects. All individuals will consider all these efforts as a duty and responsibility.In the novels written for this purpose, the children with the above-mentioned qualities attract attention. One of these works is Küçük Durmuş (1933), written by Muallim Cemal. In our study, this novel will be studied in terms of ideal child perception of the nation-state line.