Formation of working class in a steel town in Turkey: a narration of workers from public to private sector

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Thesis Type: Doctorate

Institution Of The Thesis: Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology, Turkey

Approval Date: 2016

Thesis Language: English

Student: Mustafa Berkay Aydın

Supervisor: MEHMET CİHAN ECEVİT

Abstract:

This study examines the formation processes of the working class in Karabük on the basis of Karabük Iron-Steel Factories. The workers, who have been working in the factory since the foundation of the corporation are chosen as the sample group of the study. The working class identity and the general formation of the working class are examined through three different generations. Focus group and a field research based upon survey are applied in addition to in depth interviews. The study, in accordance with the historical development, aims to discuss each period seperately, from the perspectives of their continuity and distinctiveness. By laying emphasis on trade union history and political field particularly, the study also tries to define the roles of these variables in the process of formation of the working class in different periods. It seems that the significant distinctiveness of the last generation of these three generations is remarkable.