Turkish Cultural Policy: In Search of a New Model?

This chapter draws on a study of changes to Turkish cultural policy I conducted with Füsun Üstel (Polo and Üstel 2014) but it broadens the analysis to enquire into the policy model.

Outside academia, international organizations have been set up to gather data and statistics about national culture polities, such as that operated under the aegis of the Council of Europe, the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe (http://​www.​culturalpolicies​.​net/​web/​compendium.​php?​language=​en), and the International Database of Cultural Policies (http://​www.​worldcp.​org/​index.​php). It is worth noting that these databases do not include any studies of Turkey.

The Peoples’ Institutes were closed in 1951 when the main opposition party (the Democrat Party) came to power. It saw them as a propaganda instrument for the Kemalist Party, which had held power since the founding of the republic.

This organic vision of the nation is perhaps even better exemplified by the language laws. The 1983 law, no. 2932, forbade the use of any language other than Turkish in accordance with Article 26 of the constitution, which for decades had made it an offence to use Kurdish.

DEPO, housed in a former tobacco warehouse, is a cultural center financed by the Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian culture) foundation. It acts as an exhibition space and forum for exchanges and debates about cultural issues. It works as an artistic operator with countries in Caucasia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Interview with the manager of DEPO, January 2013.

In 2009, Turkish public television company TRT6 launched a channel broadcasting in Kurdish around the clock.

The Anadolu Kültür foundation was established in Istanbul in 2002. It works to disseminate cultural programs across Turkey in partnership with non-governmental organizations and local institutions so as to develop civil initiatives nationwide. “As soon as it was founded it set up the Diyarbakir Cultural Centre [Diyarbakir Sanat Merkezi, DSM]. Its presence was part of a progressive depolarization of the local public sphere, shared between the Kurdish movement and central state institutions, with the latter conducting a cultural policy that seemed on occasions to be implemented in a sphere parallel to that of the Kurdish movement […]. The DSM’s cultural events and training courses have had a fundamental impact on the field of arts and artistic creation in Kurdistan. Anadolu Kültür is also involved in the local literary scene, with readings, a translation fund, and critical reviews. Lastly, the foundation regularly supports independent theater” (Scalbert-Yücel 2015: 54).

The specificity of the French system of financing cinema is based on the role played by the CNC, which under the tutelage of the Ministry of Culture administers the audiovisual industry, as well as being a body for representing professional interests. The close ties and mutual goodwill between public agents and those working in the cinema industry have made it possible to establish a generous funding system and consolidate the French audiovisual industry. Although this model has acted as an inspiration for other states, the Turkish cinema industry, despite a very limited public funding system, has preferred to retain its independence and draw on the revenue generated by its highly dynamic, exportable, and profitable audiovisual industry. Furthermore, certain Turkish directors (e.g. Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Deniz Gamze Ergüven), whose films have won prizes in leading international festivals, have been able to make their films in international coproduction partnerships (which have been directly financed by the French CNC or the Council of Europe’s Eurimages program).

Although other Turkish towns (the cities and especially those with the capacity to attract tourists) have started operating in the cultural field on varying scales and with varying degrees of success, clearly none of them compares to what has been undertaken in Istanbul.

For further discussion of the powers of Turkish municipalities, see Bayraktar (2007).

Mr Topbaş was one of Erdoğan’s advisers when the latter was mayor of Istanbul (1994–1998). He was also vice-chairman of the Ministry of Culture’s first committee for the protection of heritage and historic monuments. From 2010 to 2016 he was chairman of the United Cities and Local Governments network that represents the interests of local and regional governments worldwide. Although the theme of culture is one of the issues examined by this organization, an informed observer states that this involvement stems primarily from a desire to attract foreign tourists and investors rather than any attempt to develop culture. Interview January 2017.

World Tourism Organization figures, 2014. http://​dtxtq4w60xqpw.​cloudfront.​net/​sites/​all/​files/​pdf/​unwto_​highlights14_​fr.​pdf. Terrorist threats and geopolitical instability over the past two years have resulted in plummeting figures (with a drop of 30% in 2016). http://​www.​kultur.​gov.​tr/​EN,170247/​number-of-arriving-departing-foreigners-and-citizens-no-.​html.

The Ministry for Culture fused with the Ministry for Tourism in 2003, becoming the Ministry for Culture and Tourism (law no. 4848 of April 16, 2003).

The programming and holding of cultural events as part of Istanbul’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2010 show the Turkish public authorities’ strategy to recuperate a project initially driven by non-governmental cultural actors, especially the IKSV (Maisetti et al. 2012). This provides a good illustration of the ambiguous uses that can be made of Europe. Taking control of the event enabled the political authorities to promote Ottoman heritage (Göktürk et al. 2010). This was emphasized by the European Commission assessment report, which regretted direct government intervention: “As a result of 2010, there is evidence that culture and art are higher on the agenda of the media and the general public than ever before and that the city’s cultural scene will be more vibrant […] But overall, the end of the title year and the demise of the agency represent a ‘missed opportunity’ in terms of changing the model of cultural governance in the city—though progress has been made, informal networks strengthened and lessons have been learned by all the different actors involved” (Ecorys 2011).

Examples of such intellectuals are Mustafa Isen, general secretary to former President Abdulah Gül, and the editors of pro-government conservative newspapers, such as Iskender Pala and Ekrem Dumanli.

Serhan Bali, “İngiliz Modeli Nedir ve Türkiye’nin Sanat Dünyasını Nasıl Etkiler?”. http://​www.​andante.​com.​tr/​index.​php?​page=​haberdetay&​haberID=​1392.

Gattinger and Saint Pierre (2008) distinguish between two models of cultural policy: the French model of the cultural state, in which the state plays a major role promoting national culture, and the British model of the patron state, in which arts and culture spring from private initiatives, with the state supporting projects through independent agencies.

The Turkish Arts Council has 11 members: six artists and specialists in artistic activity, and five representatives of the authorities. They are all appointed by the cabinet on the basis of proposals put forward by the Minister for Culture and Tourism. The council is mainly funded by the National Lottery fund, and its level of support for artistic projects is capped at 50% of their overall cost.

http://​www.​kultursanatsen.​org.​tr/​index.​php/​1_​/​genel-merkezden/​item/​568-the-draft-law-on-promoting-artistic-activities-through-the-turkish-art-concil.​html.

In addition to setting up an arts council, the reform sought to question the public status of the national theater and opera.

See the Siyah Bant (black band) website, which lists various individual cases of artistic censorship in Turkey (www.​siyahbant.​org). In addition to direct censorship, the artistic heads of major cultural institutions privately financed by leading industrial and financial groups admit “they are careful not to overstep certain limits” so as to avoid upsetting the authorities, which could take retaliatory measures against the economic interests of their patrons when awarding public tenders or major urban development and construction projects.

http://​t24.​com.​tr/​haber/​davutoglu-600-kisiyi-kultur-ve-turizm-bakanliginda-istihdam-edecegiz,337225.

The Panorama 1453 History Museum is close to the Edirne Gateway in the Walls of Constantinople (through which Constantinople was conquered), and it houses a 2350 m² circular panoramic pictorial illustration of the fall of the city of Constantinople. Both these museums are spectacularly successful at attracting crowds of ordinary visitors who are not used to attending museums.

Speech by Hayati Develi, head of the Yunus Emre Institute, Istanbul Policy Center-Mercator Foundation-Sabanci University, Istanbul, September 4, 2013.

For example, advisers to Thatcher and Major criticized the elitism of the British Arts Council so as to promote a cultural policy based more on entertainment, which the market could provide for, and thereby justify reduced public spending on culture.