A New Constitution for a Stable Nation: A Constitutional Study on the Long-Running Kurdish Question in Turkey

Abstract

The absence of a stable nation resulted in a national problem in Turkey, the Kurdish question. Although the country has been attempting to construct a stable nation for more than a decade, it has become apparent that the construction process cannot be completed in the existence of the current Turkish Constitution. Creating a new constitution has therefore become central to the State’s agenda. By employing the methods of comparative constitutional law, this article gives some suggestions for a potential new Turkish constitution that would eventually come up with a formula to form the stable nation and to help the country to resolve its long-running national problem. First, the new constitution may recognise Kurdish and its dialects as national or regional official languages. Second, it may lay a foundation for bilingual education that would enable the use of Kurdish as the language of instruction. Third, it may embrace the term ‘Türkiyeli’ to rule on citizenship matters. Finally, the constitution may provide constitutional protection for Kurdish linguistic, cultural and historical characteristics.

Social Media and its Potential Impacts on Multicultural Education in Turkey

“…Another aim of this research is to learn participants' perceptions regarding multicultural education. It is widely accepted that social media is a platform that academicians, students, and parents share and one that incorporates people of all ages (or as is said in Turkish from 7 to 70 years old) (Gulbahar et al, 2013;Kolcak, 2015). For this reason, the view is widely held is that social media offer a realm of easily-accessible opportunities when used to achieve educational objectives (Gulbahar et al, 2013).…”

Consociationalism under examination: Is consociationalism the optimal multiculturalist approach for Turkey?

“…Most Anatolian minority communities were dramatically affected by the policies and were forced to assimilate into the Turkish nation. The Kurds were not among those communities welcoming coercive Turkification policies; rather, they rebelled against almost all assimilation policies, for example, through the 1925 Sheikh Said Riot, the 1927 Ararat Insurgency, and the 1936 Dersim Resistance, and demanded their cultural and political rights (Goldman, 1994; Kolcak, 2015a).…”

“… 12 12 For a detailed analysis of all these reforms, see Aktoprak (2010); Cicek (2011); Efegil (2011); Kayhan‐Pusane (2014); Kirisci (2011); Kolcak (2015a, 2015b, 2016); Kucuk and Ozselcuk (2015b); Zeydanlioglu (2013). …”

TURKEY: The Kurdish Issue. Limits of Security Methods

“…Since the early 2000s, Turkey has made various reforms in order to resolve the Kurdish issue in a democratic and peaceful manner, e.g. i) the abolition of the emergency rule in the Kurdish-dominated provinces (Coskun, 2015;Kolcak, 2015a); ii) the foundation of a compensation mechanism for harm caused by terrorism or ight against terrorism (Kolcak, 2015b;Leezenberg, 2016); iii) the elimination of constitutional and legal prohibitions on Kurdish broadcasting rights (Gunter, 2016;Kolcak, 2016); iv) the establishment of TRT KURDÎ, a publicly-funded television channel broadcasting in Kurdish for twenty-four hours a day (Kayhan-Pusane, 2014; Kolcak, 2015b); v) the authorization of municipalities, private language centers, universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to offer Kurdish language courses (Kolcak, 2016; Weiss, 2016); vi) the authorization of public secondary schools to offer elective Kurdish language courses (Kolcak, 2015a(Kolcak, , 2016; vii) the authorization of private schools to form bilingual (Kurdish-Turkish) education systems (Kolcak, 2016); viii) the authorization of public and private universities to offer Kurdish degree programs (Kirisci, 2011 The above reforms have transformed the assimilationist Republic. Turkey is now an integrationist republic that recognizes not only Turkish but also Kurdish and other minority identities in the private domain.…”