Tracing the Modernisation Project of Turkey in Textbook Images (1923–1945)

When the Turkish Republic was founded, it inherited a Western-oriented modernisation project from its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire. The republican ruling class was determined to further this legacy, and education was used as a tool for the eventuation of this project. One of the essential elements of this tool was textbook images. This article explores the relationship between textbook images and the modernisation project embraced by the ruling class. The study examines, by using Barthian semiology, 16 textbook images selected from 44 primary school textbooks taught between 1923 and 1945 in five thematic categories: men and boys, etiquette, women and girls, teachers, and architecture. Our analysis reveals that textbook images were deliberately edited to shape students' perceptions, attitudes and lifestyles in alignment with the ideals of modernisation.