The Closure of Darulfunun and Initiatives for Transmitting Religious Values During the Gap Years in Religious Education

Yakup Kaya

Makale detayları

The Closure of Darulfunun and Initiatives for Transmitting Religious Values During the Gap Years in Religious Education

Yazarlar:

Yakup Kaya

Yayıncı:

Kocaeli University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Eğitimi

Dergi:

Kocaeli İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.9 Issue 1, pp.78-99

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352355

pISSN:

2564-677X

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 This study examines the hiatus in higher religious education and the transmission of religious values in Turkey that began with the closure of Darülfünuns Faculty of Theology in 1933, situating this interruption within the broader processes of modernization and secularization. The central research question probes whether this institutional purge represented merely an ad hoc response to contemporaneous political exigencies or was instead a deliberately conceived component of a long-term secularization strategy. Employing qualitative methodologies, the investigation incorporates historical document analysis, extensive archival research, and a thorough review of contemporary periodicals. Republic-era archival records, official minutes, newspaper and journal archives, as well as relevant biographical works, were meticulously scrutinized. In addition, sociological and institutional analysis techniques were applied to assess the reform processs reception in society and the dynamics of acceptance and resistance among various social actors. The focal point of the study includes the institutional initiatives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs alongside the activities of prominent figures whose influence endures to the present day: Said Nursi 18771960, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan 18881959, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek 19041983. The research systematically elucidates how, despite the stringent restrictions imposed by the single-party regime, traditional religious instruction persisted and evolved through semi-official and unofficial channels. Findings indicate that, notwithstanding the states comprehensive secular reforms which significantly curtailed formal religious education, grassroots dynamics enabled the continuation of unofficial religious teaching. Social networks spearheaded by Said Nursi, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek played a decisive role in fostering resilience and sustaining traditional religious values and pedagogical practices. This societal resilience emerged as a critical factor in the reestablishment of formal religious educational institutions in the late 1940s. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the interplay between top-down secularization policies and bottom-up religious demands has produced a dynamic and intricate equilibrium that underpins contemporary understandings of religion in Turkey.

 This study examines the hiatus in higher religious education and the transmission of religious values in Turkey that began with the closure of Darülfünuns Faculty of Theology in 1933, situating this interruption within the broader processes of modernization and secularization. The central research question probes whether this institutional purge represented merely an ad hoc response to contemporaneous political exigencies or was instead a deliberately conceived component of a long-term secularization strategy. Employing qualitative methodologies, the investigation incorporates historical document analysis, extensive archival research, and a thorough review of contemporary periodicals. Republic-era archival records, official minutes, newspaper and journal archives, as well as relevant biographical works, were meticulously scrutinized. In addition, sociological and institutional analysis techniques were applied to assess the reform processs reception in society and the dynamics of acceptance and resistance among various social actors. The focal point of the study includes the institutional initiatives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs alongside the activities of prominent figures whose influence endures to the present day: Said Nursi 18771960, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan 18881959, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek 19041983. The research systematically elucidates how, despite the stringent restrictions imposed by the single-party regime, traditional religious instruction persisted and evolved through semi-official and unofficial channels. Findings indicate that, notwithstanding the states comprehensive secular reforms which significantly curtailed formal religious education, grassroots dynamics enabled the continuation of unofficial religious teaching. Social networks spearheaded by Said Nursi, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek played a decisive role in fostering resilience and sustaining traditional religious values and pedagogical practices. This societal resilience emerged as a critical factor in the reestablishment of formal religious educational institutions in the late 1940s. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the interplay between top-down secularization policies and bottom-up religious demands has produced a dynamic and intricate equilibrium that underpins contemporary understandings of religion in Turkey.

 This study examines the hiatus in higher religious education and the transmission of religious values in Turkey that began with the closure of Darülfünuns Faculty of Theology in 1933, situating this interruption within the broader processes of modernization and secularization. The central research question probes whether this institutional purge represented merely an ad hoc response to contemporaneous political exigencies or was instead a deliberately conceived component of a long-term secularization strategy. Employing qualitative methodologies, the investigation incorporates historical document analysis, extensive archival research, and a thorough review of contemporary periodicals. Republic-era archival records, official minutes, newspaper and journal archives, as well as relevant biographical works, were meticulously scrutinized. In addition, sociological and institutional analysis techniques were applied to assess the reform processs reception in society and the dynamics of acceptance and resistance among various social actors. The focal point of the study includes the institutional initiatives of the Presidency of Religious Affairs alongside the activities of prominent figures whose influence endures to the present day: Said Nursi 18771960, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan 18881959, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek 19041983. The research systematically elucidates how, despite the stringent restrictions imposed by the single-party regime, traditional religious instruction persisted and evolved through semi-official and unofficial channels. Findings indicate that, notwithstanding the states comprehensive secular reforms which significantly curtailed formal religious education, grassroots dynamics enabled the continuation of unofficial religious teaching. Social networks spearheaded by Said Nursi, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, and Necip Fazıl Kısakürek played a decisive role in fostering resilience and sustaining traditional religious values and pedagogical practices. This societal resilience emerged as a critical factor in the reestablishment of formal religious educational institutions in the late 1940s. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that the interplay between top-down secularization policies and bottom-up religious demands has produced a dynamic and intricate equilibrium that underpins contemporary understandings of religion in Turkey.

 Bu çalışma, 1933 yılında Darülfünun İlahiyat Fakültesinin kapatılmasıyla başlayan ve Türkiyede yüksek din eğitimi ile dini değerlerin aktarımında görülen boşluk yıllarını modernleşme ve sekülerleşme süreçleri çerçevesinde ele almaktadır. Araştırmanın temel sorusu, bu kurumsal tasfiye girişiminin yalnızca dönemin siyasi ihtiyaçlarına yönelik ani bir tepki mi yoksa uzun vadeli bir sekülerleşme stratejisinin parçası olarak bilinçli şekilde mi planlandığıdır. Araştırma, nitel yöntemler kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiş olup, tarihsel belge analizi, arşiv incelemeleri ve dönemin süreli yayınlarının kapsamlı bir incelemesini içermektedir. Cumhuriyet dönemi arşiv belgeleri, resmi tutanaklar, gazete ve dergi arşivleri ile döneme ilişkin biyografik çalışmalar titizlikle analiz edilmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra sosyolojik ve kurumsal analiz teknikleriyle reform sürecinin toplum nezdindeki kabul ve direnç dinamikleri incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın odağında, Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığının kurumsal girişimlerinin yanı sıra, Said Nursi 18771960, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan 18881959 ve Necip Fazıl Kısakürek 19041983 gibi dönemin önemli şahsiyetlerinin faaliyetleri yer almaktadır. Araştırma, tek parti rejiminin katı kısıtlamalarına rağmen, geleneksel din eğitiminin yarı resmi ve gayriresmi mecralar aracılığıyla nasıl korunduğunu ve dönüştüğünü sistematik bir şekilde ortaya koymaktadır. Elde edilen bulgular, devletin uyguladığı kapsamlı seküler reformlara karşın, toplumun alt katmanlarından yükselen dinamiklerin gayriresmi din eğitimini devam ettirmesini mümkün kıldığını göstermektedir. Özellikle Said Nursi, Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan ve Necip Fazıl Kısakürekin öncülük ettiği sosyal ağlar, geleneksel dini değerler ve eğitim pratiklerinin direnç kazanarak süreklilik kazanmasında kritik rol oynamıştır. Bu toplumsal direnç, 1940lı yılların sonunda resmi din eğitimi kurumlarının yeniden kuruluş sürecinde belirleyici bir unsur olarak öne çıkmıştır. Sonuç itibariyle çalışma, yukarıdan aşağıya uygulanan sekülerleşme politikaları ile aşağıdan yukarıya yükselen dini taleplerin etkileşiminin, Türkiyenin günümüzdeki din anlayışını şekillendiren dinamik ve karmaşık bir denge oluşturduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Makale detayları

The Closure of Darulfunun and Initiatives for Transmitting Religious Values During the Gap Years in Religious Education

Yazarlar:

Yakup Kaya

Yayıncı:

Kocaeli University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Eğitimi

Dergi:

Kocaeli İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.9 Issue 1, pp.78-99

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352355

pISSN:

2564-677X

Religious Education

Dârülfünun Faculty of Theology

Modernization and Secularization

Gap Years in Religious Education

Said Nursi

Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan

Tevhid-i Tedrisat LawDin Eğitimi

Dârülfünun İlahiyat Fakültesi

Modernleşme ve Sekülerleşme

Din Eğitimindeki Boşluk Yılları

Said Nursi ve Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan

Tevhid-i Tedrisat Kanunu.

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Yakup Kaya

Yayıncı: Kocaeli University

Ana Başlıklar: Din Eğitimi

Dergi: Kocaeli İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.9 Issue 1, pp.78-99

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2025

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001352355

pISSN: 2564-677X

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Yakup Kaya

Yayıncı:

Kocaeli University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Eğitimi

Dergi:

Kocaeli İlahiyat Dergisi Vol.9 Issue 1, pp.78-99

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001352355

pISSN:

2564-677X