The Turkish State as a Pan-Family. From Micro to Macro Environment: Societal Values and the Good-Bad Binomen

Abstract

We analyse the role of the Turkish family, as not a singular, but rather a collective entity in the Turkish culture; it is a fundamental element for it represents a micro-Turkish state, as the Turkish state is, extendedly, a pan-family. Therefore, family becomes one of the most important values, a sacred institution which has become a symbolic value for its importance, both religious and societal. Family guides the construction of the society through marriage, a collective process of enclosing the circle of fate and symbolising prosperity. The reference genome in the Turkish society is the people (“el âlem”), being a collectivistic culture. We analyse the societal values around the concept of komşuluk – a term describing close relations between the members of the community, which has become a reference for the good-bad binomen, namely for what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the society.