The Neoliberal-Conservative Transformation of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

• In Event: Advocating for Science in Contemporary States of Authoritarianism

Abstract

This study aims to discuss the relationship between politics and scientific knowledge production in Turkey in the last decade through a brief analysis of the recent transformation of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (hereinafter TUBITAK). Although founded as a scientific research institution, by 2016 TUBITAK also prioritizes and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship cooperating with various institutions in private sector. Despite being established as a semi-autonomous organization, in recent years the council has been harshly criticized for being politicized and operating in alignment with the interests of the ruling party Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (Justice and Development Party, hereinafter AKP).
The first section of this paper will begin with an analysis of the transformation that can be recognized in the institutional configuration of the council. The transformation happened in the institutional structure of the council shows the direct and indirect intervention of state in order to control the scientific policies of the council. Then, I will present some major shifts that became prevalent in the scientific activities and the projects of the council. These changes were followed by prominent shifts in the organization and structure of the scientific project fairs and contests sponsored by the council. From this perspective, I will argue the relation between science, education and politics referring the Foucauldian analysis of power/knowledge. Through this analysis, I will argue the corporatization of science and how neoliberal and conservative politics is incorporated into the production and development of scientific knowledge in Turkey.

Author

• Esma H. Celebioglu, George Mason University