Discourse of a Civics Textbook in Nation Schools: A Step Towards the Establishment of the Turkish Nation

This article examines the perception of citizenship conveyed through the textbook Civics for Nation Schools and the Public, a key resource used in the Nation Schools which opened in Turkey in 1928. A mixed methods approach is used to examine the content of the text, and the meanings embedded in the language used. It is argued that this text supported the creation of Turkish national identity in the Nation Schools through notions of enmity, exclusion and threats. The study provides an historical background from which to understand issues related to the role of textbooks in citizenship education, still on the agenda in Turkey today.