As the Center for Social Research (TAM), we are delighted to present the second issue of the second volume of our Journal of TAM Academy to the scientific community as we enter the second century of our Republic. In this special year, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, TAM also organized the 2nd International Social Sciences Congress in Kaş in Antalya, from May 19th to 21st, 2023, creating a scientific celebration. Themed "The Republic and Its Contributions" the Congress also served as a tribute from the Social Research Center to the 100th year of our Republic. On the 85th anniversary of the passing of the founder of our Republic, the Grand Turk, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, we once again remember him with gratitude and respect on the occasion of the fourth issue dated November 2023.
In this issue published with great enthusiasm and longing throughout the eventful year of 2023, we are pleased to bring together our esteemed readers with five articles and a book review. The first article in this issue is by N. Hanzade Uralman. In her paper titled " Analysis of Türkiye İş Bank Advertising Films in Terms of National Identity Attractiveness" Uralman points out that certain established brands in Turkey, including İş Bank founded in 1924, have transformed their identity elements related to the founding purposes and values into a sustainable communication strategy. She emphasizes that İş Bank is one of the brands that continuously uses national identity elements in its communication practices, representing the values of the Republic from its establishment. Uralman aims to identify the national identity elements in the messages of İş Bank's television and YouTube-advertised films and determine which values of the Republic are conveyed to the public.
The second article in this issue is authored by Hüdai Ateş. In his work titled "The East Behind the Cameras: Orientalist Stereotypes in Documentary Films" Ateş aims to reveal the relationship between documentary films and Orientalist stereotypes through films depicting Eastern societies. He argues that certain biases and stereotypes are used consciously or unconsciously, leading to generalizations and simplifications about the represented Eastern communities in these films.
The third article is by Selameddin Baysal. In his paper titled "The Place and Importance of Traditional Treatment Systems in Coopering with Epidemic Diseases" Baysal examines the past, present, and future of traditional treatment systems in countries such as Egypt, India, China, and Turkey from a sociological, religious, and psychological perspective. The study also evaluates traditional treatment systems in the context of coping and religious coping concepts.
The author of the fourth article is Aynur Köse. In her work titled "COVID-19 in the Perspective of Chaos Theory: The ‘New Normal’ Discovered in the Order of Disorder" Köse states that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its place in history as a crisis period causing global chaos due to its scope and rapid spread. She argues that the pandemic, disrupting known and familiar norms, led to the discovery of a new order and new norms within global irregularity. Köse takes a chaos theory perspective to analyze the pandemic and focuses on the concept of "new normal" as an effort to establish a new order. The study provides a descriptive analysis of the process through the identification of the new norms that have become part of life, aiming to adapt to the pandemic and overcome the chaos experienced.
The fifth and final article is the work of Uğur Boyalı and Celalettin Aktaş, titled "Digital Games and Social Interaction". In this study, Boyalı and Aktaş emphasize the increasing interest in digital games worldwide and in our country, highlighting the expanding game market. They argue that people from different age groups increasingly interact through virtual environments using digital games. Within this framework, they examine the concept of the game and its development through an argumentative method, focusing on digital games, types, and social interaction.
In addition to these articles, this issue of our journal includes a review by Ekin Kadir Selçuk of the book titled "Becoming Turkish: Nationalist Reforms and Cultural Negotiations in Early Republican Turkey 1923-1945" written by Hale Yılmaz and published in Turkish by İstanbul Bilgi University Publications in 2023. Yılmaz's work, which considers the modernization of the Republic in terms of socio-cultural changes in areas such as fashion, consumption, language, and daily life, is critically examined by Selçuk in his review titled "Becoming Turkish: How was Turkish Modernization Experienced in Daily Life in the Early Republican Period?". This review offers an opportunity to re-read the early Republic period from a different perspective.
As we present the fourth issue of our journal to the benefit of the scientific community, we extend our gratitude to everyone involved in this issue. You can reach the Center for Social Research and its outputs through the websites toplumsalarastirmalarmerkezi.org, tamde.org, and tamuskon.org, as well as social media accounts.
Prof. Mustafa Yılmaz
Editor-in-Chief
