Abstract:

The early Republican period in Turkey emerges as a period characterized by the dominance of nationalist ideology, driven by the process of nation-state formation, the desire to sever ties with the disintegrating Ottoman Empire, and the pursuit of a new cultural identity. During this period, various steps were taken to promote Turkish nationalism, including the development of theories such as the Turkish Historical Thesis and the Sun Language theory, aimed at establishing a connection between the Turkish people and their Central Asian roots and fostering a sense of national consciousness. One of the key pillars in instilling ideological elements like nationalism in a society is the "education" of children. In the realm of education, one important medium that provided a space for both entertainment and knowledge acquisition for children was children's magazines. This study focuses on the nationalist policies of the early Republican period and the construction of childhood. In this context, it examines how the nationalist policies of the early Republican period found their place in the children's magazine Şen Çocuk, which was published in the 1930s, a period when nationalist discourse and identity politics gained momentum. The study analyzes the content in Şen Çocuk magazine descriptively, with a focus on themes related to the qualitative characteristics of Turkishness, the history of Turkishness, the importance of the Turkish language, the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, praise of Anatolia, and the portrayal of enemies.

Keywords: