Characteristic Structure of Turkish Society in Mustafa Ersen Erkal's Thought

Abstract

Mustafa Ersen Erkal is one of our leading sociologists in the field of social sciences. Erkal sees himself as a true Turkish nationalist. In this respect, state tradition comes before everything else for him. This mindset is clearly seen in his works. His work has mostly been about finding solutions to Turkey's social issues. In this study, determinations were made taking into account his sensitivity. It can be seen that Erkal is an important figure who was able to analyze the Turkish social structure well. He is a rare thinker who has accomplished many noteworthy studies on Turkish society. It is possible to see the most important characteristics of Turkish society in his works. In his works, he stated that Turkish society especially attaches importance to unity and solidarity. According to him, Turkish society has a tolerant social structure. Turkish society is seen as a solidarity society. In addition, Turkish society is a society that is loyal to its customs and traditions and cares about the state. In our study, we tried to cover all aspects of Erkal's views on nationalism and conservatism, which he sees as the two fundamental pillars of Turkish society. Erkal stated that nationalism is the love of independence and sovereignty, the awareness of belonging to the Turkish nation, and that it is difficult to protect national interests without being a nationalist. Erkal emphasized that nationalism is a movement that prioritizes the interests of Turkish society. Erkal discussed conservatism in terms of morality and belief and stated that Turkish society has a conservative structure.