Ülkü

Ülkü, meaning “The Ideal” in Turkish, was a magazine established in Ankara in 1933 as an official organ of Turkey's People's Houses, a network of cultural institutions founded in 1932 during the early Republican period. The magazine was created to provide an intellectual and cultural framework for the People's Houses' enlightenment mission and to communicate the principles associated with Kemalism to an educated readership. Its title was reportedly given by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. The magazine's central editorial purpose was to explain and promote the six principles of Kemalism: republicanism, populism, nationalism, secularism, statism, and reformism. Rather than functioning solely as a political publication, Ülkü brought together a broad range of material intended to support cultural modernization and national education. Its subject areas included literature, language, history, fine arts, sociology, philosophy, economics, agriculture, science, domestic management, translations, and reports concerning People's House activities. Although its principal audience was intellectuals, the publication was distributed beyond major urban centers, including to villages, reflecting the People's Houses' ambition to extend cultural and civic education throughout the country. Ülkü first appeared on 5 February 1933 and continued until August 1950, producing 272 issues. Its publication frequency changed over time. It was monthly from its launch through August 1941, biweekly from October 1941 through December 1946, and monthly again from January 1947 until its closure. The periodical also passed through several publishing organizations, including Hâkimiyeti Milliye Publishing House, Ulus Publishing House, Ankara Ulusal Publishing House, and Zerbamat Publishing House. The magazine's intellectual character developed during its run. Before Mehmet Fuat Köprülü became editor-in-chief in 1936, articles on the Ottoman state tended to rely on popularized historical narratives. Under Köprülü, the publication adopted a more scholarly and sophisticated approach. From 1941, Ahmet Kutsi Tecer took over editorial direction. Ülkü also served as a platform for members of the wider Ülkü group, a Kemalist intellectual tendency associated with solidarism, strong secularism, and opposition to liberal alternatives to state-directed modernization. Its contributors included politicians, academics, writers, artists, composers, and cultural administrators. Among those associated with the magazine were Recep Peker, Şevket Aziz Kansu, Behçet Kemal Çağlar, Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Pertev N. Boratav, Elif Naci, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Suut Kemal Yetkin, Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, Orhan Veli Kanık, Hasan Âli Yücel, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, and Sadi Irmak. Many contributors wrote without payment. Niyazi Berkes published work on sociological research in the United States during his 1938–1940 fellowship at the University of Chicago. Ahmet Kutsi Tecer's play Koçyiğit Köroğlu was first published in Ülkü in 1941. Among the many periodicals issued by the People's Houses, Ülkü was distinguished by its longevity and by its role as the common official publication of the institutions. It articulated state-aligned cultural and social policies while documenting the intellectual program of the early Turkish Republic. The magazine ceased publication in August 1950 after 272 issues and is therefore a historical magazine title rather than an active contemporary brand.

Ülkü was launched in Ankara on 5 February 1933 as a periodical of the People's Houses. The People's Houses had been established in 1932 as cultural and educational institutions intended to advance the social and intellectual transformation of the Turkish Republic. Ülkü became their principal common publication and was owned by the Ankara People's House. The magazine was designed to give theoretical and cultural expression to the six principles of Kemalism: republicanism, populism, nationalism, secularism, statism, and reformism. Its editors and contributors treated the periodical as a vehicle for national education, cultural development, and the promotion of a secular and state-oriented conception of modernization. The intended readership consisted primarily of intellectuals, but distribution extended to towns and villages, consistent with the People's Houses' aim of spreading cultural activity outside the main cities. Ülkü covered an unusually wide range of subjects. Its contents included literary writing, linguistics, Ottoman and Turkish history, visual arts, sociology, philosophy, economics, agriculture, science, domestic management, translated works, and information about People's House activities. In its early period, historical discussions of the Ottoman state were often presented through popular accounts. This changed after Mehmet Fuat Köprülü became editor-in-chief in July 1936, when the magazine's historical and cultural writing became more academically developed. Nusret Kemal Köymen and Necip Ali Küçüka served as directors from the magazine's launch through 1941. Ahmet Kutsi Tecer began editing the publication from 1941. During the later period, from January 1947 until the final issue in August 1950, Tahsin Banguoğlu and Mehmet Tuğrul served as directors. The publication moved among several publishing houses, including Hâkimiyeti Milliye Publishing House, Ulus Publishing House, Ankara Ulusal Publishing House, and Zerbamat Publishing House. The magazine was associated with the Ülkü group, one of the important Kemalist intellectual currents of the period. Contributors generally supported solidarist, strongly secular, and anti-liberal approaches to state and society. The contributor network included prominent political figures, scholars, writers, artists, composers, and educators. Notable names included Recep Peker, Şevket Aziz Kansu, Behçet Kemal Çağlar, Ahmet Adnan Saygun, Pertev N. Boratav, Elif Naci, Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Suut Kemal Yetkin, Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, Orhan Veli Kanık, Hasan Âli Yücel, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, and Sadi Irmak. Many contributors participated without payment. Niyazi Berkes published sociological material connected with his research in the United States between 1938 and 1940. Ülkü's frequency changed during its seventeen-year life. It was monthly from February 1933 to August 1941, biweekly from October 1941 to December 1946, and monthly again from January 1947 until August 1950. It published 272 issues in total. Tecer's play Koçyiğit Köroğlu appeared in the magazine in 1941, illustrating its role as a venue for original literary work as well as political and cultural commentary. The title ended publication in August 1950. Its historical importance derives from its unusually long run among People's House periodicals and its function as the institutions' official intellectual voice. Ülkü documented and promoted the cultural policies of the early Republic while connecting state ideology, scholarship, literature, and public education.

• 1950

  Publication ends after 272 issues

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  The magazine ceased publication in August after producing a total of 272 issues.

• 1947

  Monthly publication resumes

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  Ülkü returned to a monthly schedule in January, with Tahsin Banguoğlu and Mehmet Tuğrul serving as directors.

• 1941

  Publication becomes biweekly and Tecer assumes editorial role

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  The magazine entered a biweekly period in October, while Ahmet Kutsi Tecer began editing it during the year. His play Koçyiğit Köroğlu was also first published in Ülkü.

• 1936

  Mehmet Fuat Köprülü becomes editor-in-chief

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  Köprülü's appointment marked a shift toward more sophisticated and scholarly treatment of historical and cultural subjects.

• 1933

  First issue published

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  Ülkü published its first issue in Ankara on 5 February as an organ of the People's Houses.

• 1932

  People's Houses established

  [1]Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org

  The People's Houses were founded as cultural and educational institutions, creating the institutional setting for Ülkü's later launch.

An official, intellectually oriented cultural magazine designed to explain and disseminate Kemalist principles and support the People's Houses' nationwide cultural modernization program.

• Cultural and political periodical · 1933

  Ülkü magazine

  The core product was a print magazine issued by the People's Houses. It combined ideological essays on Kemalism with literary works, historical and linguistic studies, sociology, philosophy, economics, agriculture, science, fine arts, domestic management, translations, and reports about People's House activities. It was aimed at intellectual readers but was distributed across urban and rural Turkey. The title appeared monthly for most of its run and biweekly between October 1941 and December 1946.

• Literary work · 1941

  Koçyiğit Köroğlu

  Ahmet Kutsi Tecer's play Koçyiğit Köroğlu was first published in Ülkü in 1941. Its appearance illustrates the magazine's role as a platform for original Turkish literary and theatrical writing alongside its political, historical, and social commentary.

1. 1Ülkü (magazine)en.wikipedia.org