The political culture which gave rise to Atatürk

Generally in the scholarship on Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey's most famous transformative leader, there are only a handful of books which delve into the making of the politics and the culture in the lead-up to him becoming president in 1923. In his new book, "Eternal Dawn: Turkey in the Age of Atatürk," Prof. Ryan Gingeras of the Naval Postgraduate School aims to cover that gap, providing a kaleidoscopic view of the sweeping changes in society that were taking place during his time in power and what they mean for Turkey's evolution as a country. Eternal Dawn presses beyond the reigning mythology that still envelops this period and challenges many of the standing assumptions about the limits, successes, and consequences of the reforms that comprised Mustafa Kemal's revolution. Through a detailed survey of social and political conditions that defined life in the capital as well as Turkey's diverse provinces, Gingeras lays bare many of the harsh realities and bitter legacies incurred as a result of the republic's establishment and transformation.