Uneven and combined development (UCD) and the trajectory of Turkish literary modernity: dialectics of Western forms/Eastern content


Yalvaç F., Akcalı Ö.

Turkish Studies, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/14683849.2026.2701902
  • Dergi Adı: Turkish Studies
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Servet-i Fünun period, Tanzimat period, Trotsky, Turkish literature, Uneven and combined development (UCD), Westernization
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This article analyzes the trajectory of Ottoman-Turkish literature through the lens of the theory of uneven and combined development (UCD). Drawing on Leon Trotsky, who first developed the concept, UCD expresses a mechanism whereby interactions among societies generate divergent development trajectories. Within this framework, the article analyzes theproblematic of Westernization in Turkish fiction as the cultural expression of an uneven encounter with Western modernity. The article concludes by arguing that what started as an adoption of Western forms was later transformed into a critique of Western modernity demonstrating the potential transformative consequences of the dialectics of combination.