Abstract
Thus the purpose of this work will be to try and assess the claim of total rupture of Kemalism with the legacy of the Ottoman Empire and to examine the origins and nature of Turkish nationalism and its influence on the structure of Turkish society. The first chapter will treat the issue of rupture between the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey in order to see if there is continuity or not. The second chapter will deal with Ataturk?s nation building project (which I will describe and explore), with the problem of knowing if it was solely his creation or if it had more profound roots, and with the question of knowing if it really was a smooth uniformisation process as depicted, or if it was a more difficult process than usually described. Finally, the third chapter will attempt to show how the answers to those questions define an ongoing trend that can serve to illuminate and to give us a better understanding of the problems and perspectives of the political and social picture of Turkey in the 21st century.
