Moving but Not Yet Talking: Community Psychology in Turkey

Community psychology (CP), with its emphasis on the local and native processes, and its focus on empowerment, liberation, social justice, change, and action, has a lot to offer to the society in Turkey. Psychologists in Turkey have often adopted dominant models from the United States, and many faculty are trained in the United States. CP is not a dominant subfield in the United States and therefore has not been very familiar or appealing to psychologists in Turkey. CP is particularly valuable given the strong calls for culturally situated psychologies in Turkey—a country with a very rich history, geography, cultures, and communities. CP is emerging in Turkey, more in practice than in training or research. During the 1999 earthquake relief efforts and the following period, many psychologists personally experienced what community work has to offer and liked it. A few students are on their way to obtaining CP degrees outside of Turkey. The future, however, is uncertain. No department or organization has committed itself to fostering CP. Undergraduate courses and publications are rare.Work focused on advocacy and policy hardly exist. CP in Turkey is developing but not in a planned or deliberate manner. It will take time for CP to become a very active and vocal discipline in Turkey.