People’s Houses in the Pages of Ulus : Journalism and Nation-Building in Early Republican Türkiye

This article reveals how the news reports of the newspaper Ulus (Nation) concerning the People’s Houses (Halkevleri, cultural and educational centers established by the ruling single-party regime in 1932) contributed to nation-building in early Republican Türkiye. Accordingly, the study examines 183 news texts related to the People’s Houses in 1934 and 1935 through qualitative thematic textual analysis, treating them as ideological state apparatuses. As a result of the analysis, three main themes were identified: (1) institutionalization and national diffusion; (2) cultural, educational, and artistic nation-building; and (3) social and symbolic nation-building. These findings demonstrate that Ulus newspaper adopted the roles of a loyal, supportive, missionary, and public-educator press, and transformed People’s House activities into a narrative grounded in progress, modernity, and gratitude to the regime. Therefore, this study argues that journalism and cultural policy operated together as components of a single ideological project carried out under party leadership.