Vezaif-i Ebeveyn Book Review: Approach to Child Education in Turkish Society a Century Ago

In this study, the detailed analysis of Vezaif-i Ebeveyn, written 135 years ago by Muallim Naci, one of the leading names in Turkish literature and the history of education, has been made in the context of child education and parental responsibilities. Vezaif-i Ebeveyn, one of the rare works on child education and the transmission of moral values in the Ottoman period, is especially important in terms of addressing the responsibilities of parents towards their children and what role they should assume in society in terms of child upbringing. Naci conveys the social, cultural and moral values of the period regarding child upbringing and meticulously analyzes the elements that shape the responsibilities of parents. The main purpose of examining this work is to provide a historical perspective on the understanding of child education in the Ottoman period. Although the family structure, socioeconomic conditions of individuals, educational policies and approaches to child rearing have changed considerably in modern society, it is observed that some basic values regarding child education and parental responsibilities have remained constant from the past to the present. In this context, Vezaif-i Ebeveyn is a valuable resource for researchers, educators and academics who wish to work in the field of child upbringing. Researchers examining the effects of the social values of the period on child development can find clues to the origins of modern pedagogical approaches through this work. Analyzing how issues such as child education and parental responsibilities are shaped in the historical process will contribute to the understanding of modern approaches. Vezaif-i Ebeveyn builds a bridge between the past and the present in child development and provides a comprehensive resource for understanding the historical development of parents' responsibilities over their children.