I found this account extremely interesting and eye-opening. This type of rapid modernization is something I am familiar with from 19th century America, so to learn that this occurred so quickly in 1950s Turkey was something I never considered. This series of interviews again exemplifies the hidden personal thoughts noted in the Scott reading. In many instances, the villagers avoided questions completely or responded with non-answers or just plain laughter in the shepherd’s case (page 21). The lack of answers and obvious uneasiness about the questions expose a flawed aspect of social science research. We can only learn so much when the subjects are not completely free to express their inner desires. That being said, we do observe clever political tactics used by the Chief, such as moderating outside influence, by way of the radio, to keep his position as village leader (page 27). His intelligence does not stop there because he quickly realized that his village was modernizing, so he allowed his sons to follow the path of the Grocer, who the Chief initially thought of as a foe (page 42). This is reminiscent of Machiavelli in a way, by the Chief putting aside his own personal beliefs and morals in an attempt to have himself and his “heirs” remain in power. The Machiavelli theme is also apparent when many villagers were initially too nervous to respond to the interview questions because they feared what the Chief would think of them if they spoke out. From the Chief’s perspective it is clear he chose the route of being feared rather than loved in that instance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I found this account extremely interesting and eye-opening. This type of rapid modernization is something I am familiar with from 19th century America, so to learn that this occurred so quickly in 1950s Turkey was something I never considered. This … Continue reading