Zeynep Kezer’s Building Modern Turkey: State, Space and Ideology in the Early Republic is an expansively detailed and exhaustive investigation of the construction—both physically and psychologically—of the Republic of Turkey during its formative years of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The book is organized into three sections: “Forging a New Identity,” “Erasures in the Land,” and “An Imaginable Community,” comprised of two chapters each. Each section tackles a different aspect of the Republic of Turkey’s nation-building process, respectively: the spatial creation of the new capital, Ankara; the dismantling of the nation’s Ottoman heritage; and the creation of a homogenous network of spatial and sociological practices all reinforcing the ideas and ideals of the new country. In the words of Kezer, the book “portrays Turkey’s transition from a pluralistic empire to a unitary nation-state as a fitful twofold process that simultaneously unleashed creative and destructive forces. It juxtaposes the drive to put in place the physical infrastructure and sociological practices of a new cultural and political order with the urge to dismantle the vestiges of its predecessor and also reveals the inextricable—if hitherto overlooked—interdependence between the two” (11).

Much has been written about the change from the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire to the fledgling Republic of Turkey, as guided by founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk after World War I. As a result, just like the writing of any history, many simplifications about this process have appeared over the years. Just to name a few: Ankara was a blank slate built up by the new leaders; the international community embraced the change of capital from Istanbul to Ankara; Islam was a unifying force that added to the young nation; ethnic and religious minorities were protected groups; the nation was basically the same everywhere (with no geographic or ethnic differences); and the map of Turkey is built upon natural dividing lines.

In the words of this reviewer, Kezer’s book is a “myth-buster.” The book systematically challenges not only the above simplifications, but also a myriad of others, which provides a more nuanced look at what was happening during this time period. As a result, Kezer reveals that, in parallel with the simplifications mentioned above: Ankara was not a blank slate but had an existing urban structure that was ignored by the new leaders; that the diplomatic core did not voluntarily move from Istanbul to Ankara but had to be enticed with special real estate and tax incentives; that Islam was not a uniform practice across the country but consisted of varied observances—both official and vernacular—that ironically had to be made uniform by the secular government; that ethnic and religious minorities were officially legally protected but in practice were not; that the nation widely differed in geography and ethnicity but this was ignored by the imposition of similar urban plans, architectural models, and language requirements regardless of location; and that the shape of Turkey (and its inhabitants) was just as constructed as the new nation itself.

The book is a welcome in-depth examination into the complexities of Turkey’s nation-building process. The one criticism that this reviewer was going to make was the choice of photograph for the cover: an aerial photograph of Taksim Square, Istanbul, in the 1930s. Surely, given the title “Building Modern Turkey,” it would have been more appropriate to have an image from the capital, Ankara, which was built up from scratch by the new Republic (so the reviewer thought)? However, upon reading the book and absorbing its detailed descriptions and arguments, the reviewer now understands that this was a perfect choice for cover photo: of all the cities in Turkey where the new nation had to make its mark, it was the former capital Istanbul, complete with its Ottoman infrastructure and heritage, that mattered the most in the struggle to assert dominance in the public sphere. Not coincidentally today, Taksim Square continues to be a locus in the struggle between the people of Turkey and the government of Turkey, which makes Kezer’s book not simply a historical investigation but a relevant addition to understanding Turkey today.