The Construction of Moral Education in Early Republican Türkiye: Reflections of the Second Education Council (1943) on the Discourses of Power and Aydıns

This research aims to examine the moral education policies and practices of the political power during the Early Republican Period, the discourses of aydıns and bureaucrats, and the repercussions of the Second Education Council in this field. Adopting a qualitative approach, this research is designed as an educational history study based on the historical document analysis method. It seeks to develop a comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of the process through which morality was constructed in Türkiye. Various documents, such as numerous newspaper reports and journal articles related to the period, alongside archival records, the minutes of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, and the report of the Second Education Council, were determined as the data sources of the research. The conducted analyses indicate that moral education was reshaped in accordance with the principle of secularism during the modernization process of the Republic of Türkiye and constituted one of the fundamental components of nation-state building. The content and implementation method of the secular morality education envisioned by the political power were debated and criticized by different circles of society. The Second Education Council, held in 1943, played a significant role in determining moral education policies. The research demonstrates that moral education was not merely a pedagogical issue but was also constructed as an integral part of social transformation and political socialization processes.