Tracing the Turkish modernization: A content analysis of newspaper ads depicting children in the Early Republican Period (1923–1950)

Children were positioned as one of the essential symbols in the dissemination of Turkish modernization discourse. This study examines the portrayal of children in advertisements during the early years of the Turkish Republic, aiming to explore how the ‘modern’ Turkish child was conceptualized in mass media. Through a content analysis of 491 advertisements published in national newspapers, the study reveals that children’s representation in advertisements played a significant role in negotiating broader processes of social and cultural transformation. Furthermore, the findings suggest that advertisements served as a cultural mechanism for conveying modernization efforts in Turkish society by aligning children with emerging ideals of modernity. This research underscores the role of advertisements not only as communication tools but also as critical sites where national identity, social values, and ideologies were constructed during a period of profound social and cultural transformation.