Islam, secularism and nationalism in modern Turkey

"Common wisdom argues that in the interwar period, Kemalist secularism was very successful in eliminating religion from the public sphere in Turkey, leaving Turkish national identity devoid of religious content. However, Islam, Secularism, and Nationalism in Modern Turkey reaches another conclusion through an investigation of the impact of the Ottoman millet system on Turkish and Balkan nationalism. It demonstrates that even though Mustafa Kemal Ataturk successfully secularized Turkey's political structure in the interwar period, the legacy of the Ottoman millet system, which divided the Ottoman population into religious compartments called millets, shaped Turkey's understanding of nationalism in the same era."--Jacket.