Turcology Studies in China
Ömer Faruk Işık, Zhixing ShenThe Turkish–Chinese relationship dates to ancient times and the official relations between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Turkey were established in 1971. Since then, the co-operation between them has been gradually increasing. This study thus investigates the current status of Turcology studies in China depending on the developing political and economic relations between them. Literary works of universities with Turcology departments were examined and included translations from Turkish to Chinese, Turkish teaching books, articles and theses written in Turkish. The study results indicated that the recent Turcology studies in China have been considerably developing, following other developments between them; however, despite the progress, studies have not reached sufficient maturity in terms of written textbooks and published articles and theses. It has also been observed that literary works translated from Turkish to Chinese have a narrow spectrum, and they are concentrated particularly in the works of Orhan Pamuk.
Çin’deki Türkoloji Çalışmaları
Ömer Faruk Işık, Zhixing ShenÇinliler ve Türkler arasındaki ilişki tarihin çok eski dönemlerine dayanmaktadır. Bu nedenle iki millet arasında kurulan bağlar her zaman birbiri için önemli olmuştur. Günümüzde de bu bağ önemini korumaktadır. İki milletin çağımızdaki birer temsilcisi olan Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti ve Türkiye Cumhuriyeti arasındaki diplomatik ilişkiler 1971 yılında başlamıştır. Bu zamandan günümüze değin iki ülke arasındaki iş birliğine dayalı ilişkinin gün geçtikçe arttığı görülmektedir. Gelişen siyasi ve ekonomik ilişkilere bağlı olarak Çin’de yürütülen Türkoloji çalışmalarının güncel durumunu ortaya koymak bu araştırmanın amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Çin’de yürütülen Türkoloji çalışmaları; Türkoloji bölümü bulunan üniversiteler, Türkçeden Çinceye çevrilen edebi eserler, Türkçe öğretimi üzerine yazılan kitaplar, Türkçe üzerine yazılmış makale ve tezler bağlamında incelenmiştir. Yapılan incelemeler neticesinde Çin’de yürütülen son dönem Türkoloji çalışmalarının iki ülke arasındaki diğer gelişmelere bağlı olarak günden güne geliştiği görülmektedir. Fakat çalışmaların gelişmesine rağmen; alanda yetişmiş akademisyen, yazılmış ders kitapları, yayımlanmış makale ve tezler bakımından çalışmaların yeterli olgunluğa erişmemiş olduğu görülmektedir. Ayrıca Türkçeden Çinceye çevrilen edebi eserlerin de çok dar bir yelpazeye sahip olduğu, çeviri çalışmalarının özellikle bir yazarın eserlerinde yoğunlaştığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışma ile Çin’de yürütülen Türkoloji çalışmalarının bilinirliğinin artırılması beklenmektedir. Ayrıca çalışmanın, Türkoloji üzerine Çin bağlamında çalışmalar yürüten/yürütmek isteyen araştırmacılara katkı sağlaması öngörülmektedir.
The state of Turcology studies in China has been an unexplored topic at present. Turcology is defined as a branch of science that investigates Turkish history, literature, language, folklore, and scientific research (TDK, 2005). In this study, the recent Turcology studies in China were examined by compiling and analyzing literary works of universities with Turcology departments such as translations from Turkish to Chinese, Turkish teaching books, articles and theses written in Turkish.
Turcology studies in China were first established in 1985 when a Turkish department was opened at Beijing International Studies University; in the past 35 years, the number of Turcology departments in China has reached 12. Notably, the opening of new departments has been occurring in parallel with the developments in diplomatic and economic relations between them. The examination of Turcology departments according to yearly intervals revealed that only one department existed in 1985–2000, two in 2000–2010, and 12 in 2010–2019. The recent opening of many Turcology departments demonstrated an interest in the Turkish language and culture in China, but it also showed that most departments have not reached an academic maturity. The establishment of business associations of Turcology sections in China with relevant institutions in Turkey would contribute to the maturation, as academic scholars and students would strengthen the bond with Turkey.
The Turcology departments in Chinese universities require trained academic staff. Currently, only one university professor and three associate professors exist at two universities. In all, 33 of the 37 academic staff across China work as lecturers or assistants. The academic aspects of the departments will be strengthened by encouraging the assistants and faculty members in the departments to pursue academic studies. The implementation of academic personnel exchange programs with universities and institutions in Turkey can also contribute to this field.
Since 1985, more than 316 students have graduated from the departments of Turcology, and 255 students are actively continuing their studies. In the coming years, a significant increase in the number of students studying in the departments of Turcology and graduating from these departments will occur. Projects for these departments can be implemented by the relevant ministries and universities in Turkey to disseminate knowledge about Turkey and contribute to Turcology.
Since 1971, only 25 Turkish works have been translated into Chinese, and 13 of these works belong to Orhan Pamuk. This aspect indicates that Turkey’s written resources have not been recognized or received attention in China. Supporting translation and promoting studies of Turkish literature by Turkey will contribute to the development of cultural relations between the two countries.
Another indicator of the academic deficiency in the departments of Turcology is that Turkish teaching resources used in the departments of Turcology are not sufficient, and a lack of resources in some skill areas is also observed. Moreover, Turkish history, literature, culture, art, community life, and Ottoman Turkish resources written in Chinese are also lacking; the Turcology department students would benefit significantly from such resources. Although resources are prepared by the efforts of experts in this field, the resource shortage can be promptly resolved with the support provided by the relevant institutions and universities from Turkey in line with the needs to be determined.
One of the academic indicators is undoubtedly the number of masters and doctoral thesis. The number of articles written in Turkish in China since 1971 is 48. The subject-wise distribution of the articles written is not found. Furthermore, a number of masters and doctoral theses are at a low level compared to the number of departments.
Turkey is developing rapidly, and the relationship between China is progressing based on the recent past. The rapid development of the relations has enabled some figures to increase rapidly in terms of quantity, but qualitative developments have not followed digital changes. Therefore, co-operation between Turkey and universities in China and the development of relations between academics will contribute to the qualitative improvement needed in this area. Likewise, the support and qualitative contributions to the Turcology studies in China with the projects to be implemented by the relevant Turkish government institutions, such as Yunus Emre Institute, Presidency of Turks Abroad and Relative Communities, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, will significantly improve the field. Moreover, the support of Turcology in China by Turkey would indirectly contribute to its “One Belt One Road” project.
