The Telephone and the Social Struggles in Turkey: An Overview of a Social History of a Communication Technology

摘要

ThisessaypresentsanoverviewofsocialhistoryoftelephonetechnologyinTurkey,bytakingtheuser-perspectivetoitscenter.Aspartofthesetofessaysinthisspecialissuedealingwiththehistoryoftelephonyinthenon-west,thisessayseekstoexplorehowthetelephonehasbecomepartofsocialpracticesofpeople,howithasintegratedintothesocialstrugglesofpeopleandhowithasbeenappropriatedtoconveytheusers'struggletoaltertheirpositionsinthesocialstructure,asserttheiragenciesandparticipateinthemakingofthemodernthroughoutthehistoryofmodernTurkey.Ratherthanofferingadetailedcategorization,periodizationandrelatednarrationofthelifeofthetelephonetechnologyinTurkey/OttomanEmpire,thisarticlespecificallyfocusesonsomemomentswherethemeaningsandtheusesoftelephoneindailylifepracticesandimaginationsofpeoplereflectedandcontributedtothemobilizationofthesocialstruggleintheformofclassand/orethnicandgenderstruggle.