In “The Grocer and the Chief,” Lerner certainly weaves into his report his own views regarding modernization, notably a favoritism towards the spreading of Westernized practices. For Lerner, progress seems to represent a sort of movement, but one in which American or Western values dominate. Indeed, he highlights two forms of mobility–physical and societal–that seem to be at the core of progress for Lerner. Upon the advent of bus transportation, Lerner describes, “the villagers were getting out of their holes at last,” (51). Though a paraphrase of the Grocer’s previous comment, this statement implies Lerner’s view of the villagers’ acquisition of freedom: a release from a former position of not simply immobility, but also ignorance (similar to Plato’s cave). This distinctly contrasts the Chief telling Tosun that he “‘wouldn’t move a foot from [Balgat],'” (49) and the shepherd (who eventually moved villages) would rather kill himself then leave Balgat. As such, Lerner approaches his analysis of modernization with a familiar approach that it greatly benefits the many, while potentially harming the few. The second form of mobility is societal, which the Grocer evokes initially upon responding to what he would do as Turkey’s president. The ease with which he offers his answer–to “make roads for the villagers to come to towns to see the world,” (49)–reveals his thoughtfulness. He had taken to formulate an answer to a question that might be more commonly asked in democratic republics, where representatives listen to citizens voices. Similarly, the movement of agricultural to factory jobs results in a desire to gain capital, that villagers could later spend on refrigerators, tractors, trucks, and radios–the last of which giving them power that formerly only the Chief held.
Lerner’s evaluation of Turkey’s societal changes accentuates his biases as he promotes Westernized values, like various forms of mobility. While obvious to readers accessing such judgments, the next question to ask regards the extent to which Lerner himself is aware of his partiality. Having grown up in a country that praises its own “achievements,” I simply wonder to what extent it is possible to prevent my own biases from leaking through too.
I definitely agree with what you’re saying here. There can be no doubt that Lerner has taken his own definition of progress and applied it to his research. The examples you provide support this claim, and the comparison between the ignorance of the prisoners in Plato’s cave and the ignorance of the people of Balgat is certainly applicable.
In a sense, Lerner’s mindset very closely matches the imperialist mindset, as he praises the westernization that has killed traditional ideals in Balgat. He’s not necessarily wrong, but, for the sake of his credibility, he should report it rather than praise it.
A note on your final paragraph: Lerner seems aware of his bias (as seen when he writes, “I decided that the Grocer was – and, to face right up to it, had been right from the start – my man” on page 48), though perhaps he should have made a greater effort to factor this knowledge into his research and conclusions.