A Case Evaluation on Intercultural Learning in Turkey

Transkript

1 A Case Evaluation on Intercultural Learning in Turkey by Ferda A. Doğan, Yenimahalle District Directorate of National Education Intercutural Learning, a multi-disliplinary concept including psychology, pedagogy, linguistics, discourse analyze, poetics, history, antropology, sociology and culture science, has been the core subject for many sociologic, demographic and educational studies in many countries such as Germany, Holland, England, Ireland, İskoçya, France, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania in Europe; USA, Canada and Mexico in America; India, Sri Lanca, Australia, New Zealand and Malesia in The Far East; Algeria, Gana, Nigeria ve South Africa Republic in Africa. It is also seen as a reflection of multi-culturalism on the base of democratic rights and freedom, multilingualism and population diversity on the society (Cushner-Erlbaum 1998; Huber 2007:15; Kurubaş 2008: 12). Every society on earth has its own custom, history, culture, religion and philosophical morals and behavioral patterns. Differences in individuals in a society or in other words multiculturalism is a must for democracy. For example; the term convention, the basis of passing to parlamentarian democracy in Spain democrasy, means the art of living together and envisaging peace, dialogue in politics and coming to adreement in structural problems (Güvenç 1996: 28). The duties of state of democratic, social and law are seeing differences as richness, bütünleştirmek citizens in a common denominator, seek for equality at the rights of citizens such as; social security, education, politic katılım. Turkey where identity based on citizenship bonds, is in a much better position compared to today s USA and countries of Europe in terms of current problems (Bilgin 2008: 12). The problems of education, socializing, coherence and infrastructure are originated mainly from economy, geopolitical situation, terror and interzonal differences. Because of its political and geographical structure, Turkey is exposed to internal, external and transit immigration. It is seen that it has a higher level of welfare when it is compared to Africa and Asia countries and it is preferred by EU countries because of the similarities in culture and agnation. Big cities like İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir are in a better condition in terms of population problems when it is compared to cosmopolit mega cities like Los Angeles, Newyork, London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome or Paris. According to articles numbered 37 and 45 of Lozan Treaty signed in 24th of July, 1923, regardless of ethnic origin, language, race and culture but only religion; Greeks, Gregorians, Catholics, Protestans, Armenians and Jews are accepted as minorities and their rights, liberty and cultural living have been taken under guarantee and they are accepted as Turkish citizens (ATASE 1983: 4; Millas 1989: 169; Sofuoğlu 1996: 140; Akbulut 1998: 169; İlter 1999: 30;

2 Yıldırım 2000: 6; Tural 2001: 10, 43; Genç 2005: 16, 24; Özüyılmaz 2008: 178; Bilgin 2008: 50, 69, 156, 186). Today members of Eastern Ortodox Church, Armenia Church, Assyrian Church and Catholic church can do their prays and restrictions on teaching traditional languages of minorities on TV and radio without any time limit is permitted and they have the rights to set up a private school. Turkish Republic, a state which is bağlı to Atatürk s Nationality and which respects human rights, accepts everybody who lives in its borders and accepts himself/herself as Turk with regardless of his/her race, language and culture as a citizen according to its constitution. (HAK 2004: 146; Bilgin 2008: 68, 73). According to 10. item of 1982 Constitution: Everybody ie equal in the law regardless of language, race, colour, gender, political thought, belief, religion, sect and etc. Above all, to avoid racism Turkey has signed International Treaty of Elimination of All Formats of Race Discrimination, International Civil and Politics Treaty and Economical, Social Cultural Rights Treaty and realised all the constitutional and legal reforms including statue number 4643 (ECRI 2005: 6, 7, 30). There is stil no part related to ethnic origin in identity cards or other formal recordings in Turkey (Aktürk 2008: 50). The obligatory to declare the religion in identity cards are cancelled in April 2006 but the religion part is kept there (Bilgin 2008: 182). Turkey has the key application sources like Bölge veya Azınlık dilleri İçin Avrupa Şartı, Ulusal Azınlıkların Korunması İçin Çerçeve Sözleşme, Avrupa Birliği Temel Haklar Şartı, accepts union principle which yasaklamak all the discrimities such as lanuage, religion, gender, race, colour, social ethnicity, bölge. It has also the ideal of one community including different cultures and languages like İsviçre. Moreover, when it is compared to EU countries, it is underestimated in tems of cultural and language diversity (Eker 2009: 37, 38, 46). Since Constitutional Court accepted the groups which are not Muslims as minorities according to Lozan Peace Settlement, after 1980 the law about the usage of local languages were kaldırıldı. The liberty on radio and television broadcasts in every language spoken in Turkey according to Freedom of Press and the freedom of speaking different languages, dialect and patois in daily life except public domain according to Freedom of Expressing and Disseminating Ideas are accepted. However, Communities such as Roman, Kurdish, Laz, Georgian are not accepted officially, legally and politically as minorities (Bilgin 2008: 167, 171,177). Today broadcast in different languages started without time limit on radio and televisions. The restrictions on learning the traditional languages and patois are cancelled and opening private school is permitted.

3 Intercultural learning is necessary and very essential for child s healthy attitude towards mother language, family, his/her own cultural identity, different identities, values and civilizations without any prejudices and enlarging the worldview (Uyar 2007: 52). One of our important mission is to integrate the Turkish society with its own and different cultural identities, morals and raising a healthy attitude without any prejudices towards civilisations and this can be implemented with Turkish course books. Therefore an important task encumbers to writers of Turkish course books to build up tolerance among students, resolve polarisations, avoiding racism, eliminating prejudices, improving wealth and multiculturalism, mainstreaming several factors in multicultural and multilingual structure from the point of national and international learning (Coşkun 1996b: 59-62).

4 REFERENCES AKBULUT, Yılmaz (1998), Ermeniler ve Bingöl de Ermeni Tehcirleri, Ankara. 257 AKTÜRK, Şener (2008), Türkiye Siyasetinde Etnik Hareketler: BİLGİN, Ülkü (2008), Azınlık Hakları ve Türkiye, İstanbul. COŞKUN, Hasan (1996b), Eğitim Teknolojisi ve Kültürlerarası Eğitim Bağlamında İlköğretim İkinci Sınıf Türkçe ve Almanca Ders Kitaplarının İçerik Sorunları, Türkiye de ve Almanya da Đlköğretim Ders Kitapları, Türk Alman İşleri Kurulu Yayın Dizisi, Ankara, s CUSHNER, Kenneth-Lawrence Erlbaum (1998), International Perspectives on Intercultural Education, Mahwah NJ. ECRI (2005). European Commission against Racism and Intolerance. Irkçılık ve Hoşgörüsüzlüğe Karşı Avrupa Komisyonu, Üçüncü Türkiye Raporu, Kabul Edilme Tarihi 25 Haziran 2004, Strasbourg, 15 February EKER, Süer (2009), Avrupa Birliği nin Yeni Mottosu Farklılıkta Birlik ve Türkçenin Farklılıkta Birlik teki Yeri, Bilig, S. 49, s

5 HAK (Harp Akademileri Komutanlığı) (2004), Türkiye nin Yeni Dünya Düzenine Entegrasyonu Açısından Milli Güç Unsurlarının Değerlendirilmesi, Milli Güvenlik Akademisi, Ankara. HUBER, Emel (2007), Bildirişim Edincinin Dil Edincine Etkisi, Dil Dergisi, S. 135, Ankara, s KURUBAŞ, Erol (2008), Etnik Sorunlar: Ulus-Devlet ve Etnik Gruplar Arasındaki Varoluşsal İlişki, Doğu Batı, DoğuBatı Yayınları, S. 44, Ankara, s GENÇ, H. Mustafa (2005), Dünden Bugüne Ermeni Olayları ve Soykırım Yalanı, Samsun. GÜVENÇ, Bozkurt (1996), Kültür ve Demokrasi, Ankara. MİLLAS, Herkül (1989), Tencere Dibin Kara Türk Yunan Đlişkilerine Bir Önsöz, İstanbul. ÖZÜYILMAZ, Ömer (2008), Gurmanc ve Kürtlerin Kökeni, Karakutu Yayınları, İstanbul. SOFUOĞLU, Adnan (1996), Fener Rum Patrikhanesi ve Siyasi Faaliyetleri, İstanbul. 260 TURAL, Sadık (2001), Ermeni Meselesine Dair, Ankara. UYAR, Berrin (2007), Eyleme ve Üretime Dayalı Karşılaştırmalı Kültür Çalışmaları Dersi: Don Kişot ile Nasrettin Hoca yı Tanıştırmak, Türk Dili, S. 135, Ankara, s YILDIRIM, Hüsamettin (2000), Ermeni İddiaları ve Gerçekler, Ankara.

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