Abstract :
This study aims to address the modernisation and education problem of turkish novels between the period of 1980-2000. Fifty novels from twelve novelists of the period are chosen as samples. Different trends in terms of form and content of the Turkish novel has been included while making sample selection. Besides novels written in the traditional understanding the novels under influence of postmodernism and besides the left defensive novels conservative and nationalist defensive novels have been examined too. At the introduction section the historical period of the study and concepts covered in the study are examined. Under this section firstly, the political, social and cultural situation of Turkey between 1980 and 2000 is described. The concepts of modernisation, education and Turkish novel are handled in the second section. The section of findings and comments are grouped under seven chapters. The determination of titles are based on the data extracted from the novels. These titles are in turn: the bureaucracy and politics as the inducer and implementer of modernisation; the intellectuals as the assertors of modernisation; the society as the respondent of modernisation; the religion as resistance point of tradition against modernisation; the West as the destination of modernisation; education, science, art and dress code as instruments of modernisation; Turkish identity and nationalism as the product of modernisation. It was seen that Turkish novel searching new forms, has dealed social, political and cultural issues of Turkey in this period as well. Education is accepted as a creation of a new type of person. As a result, according to the study, education is accepted as a modernisation facility. It has been seen that Turkish novel was continuing to aim to reform, to alter and to modernize the society. Recent events from immediate history of Turkey and turkish society, subjects, problems and facts discussed in this society are reflected into Turkish novel.
