THE WAY YOU TELL HISTORY IS IMPORTANT
Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Honorary Member of the Turkish Historical Society, pointed that the Turkish Revolution was not an imitation or westernization, it was broader than that, it was more worldly-wise.
Prof. Dr. Ortaylı, who delivered a speech as the guest speaker of Political Platform Club of Izmir university of Economics (IUE), said, “Turkish Revolution is about researching the history of, learning, and teaching the world geography in terms of time and space. You need to see it this way. This is very important. Turkish Revolution is based on learning about the world in a wider geography, with its music, its art, philology, and history, dating back to the Sumerians. Among the Turkish teachers, history teachers make up the weakest category. History textbooks taught at school are approved by the Board of Education and Discipline precipitately, unskillfully, not really covering the geography. I still look into the history textbooks and think that they cannot compete with the Russian, German, or French textbooks. Not that those textbooks are nearly perfect, but they instill an ideology”.
Prof. Dr. Ortaylı stated that history should be taught with a suitably significant language, synchronized knowledge, and comparisons and metaphors should be used when relaying history knowledge. Ortaylı said that corruption of education was a new legend being told. “We are corrupting education. We provided good education in the beginning. During Ataturk era, high quality of education was provided to whomever wanted it, including but not limited to Gazi Yaşargil from Polatlı village, Nobel Prize owner Aziz Sancar from a village of Mardin. We certainly know how to establish good schools, but in the hands of wrong people, this is how it turns out. You cannot open universities in all provinces. Poor students get into expectations. People are already expecting their children to enter a university, graduate, and find a good job,” said Ortaylı.
‘The Middle East became a place of turmoil after the Ottomans’
Prof. Dr. Ortaylı stated that peace arrived at Middle East with the Ottomans, and it turned into a place of turmoil after the Ottomans left. “Middle East consists of crowds, nations who are slaying each other since 1918. Today’s Syria is the end result of minorities overruling the majorities,” pointed the Professor.
