Basic Education and the Democratization Process in Turkey

This paper examines the "democratization process" in Turkey and its ramifications on the Turkish education system. By using a Gramscian theoretical framework, this research evaluates the latest reform (4+4+4) in the Turkish formal education system in the wider context of democratization and state transformation. The study is based on thematic documentary research and semi-structured interviews conducted with journalists and teacher trade unions in Turkey. The findings focus on three main themes extracted from the data analysis: rise of religiosity, involvement of civil society and homogeneity in the context of democracy.