Educational backgrounds of contemporary Turkish elites

Abstract

Elite studies have great importance within sociological and political studies, because elites are the main agents of social change (Arslan, 2003). On the other hand, education is one of the most important social indicators in the contemporary world. As a result of the rapid transformation from capital based society to knowledge based society, education has become more important than ever before, in determining success. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to analyse the educational background of the contemporary Turkish elite, including political elites, labour union elites and media elites. Educational levels, education and school types and foreign language ability

will be investigated in the study. The multi-method approach was used. The “positional” approach was used for identifying the elites who have a potential for power because of their status and social position within society; the “reputational” approach was used to select those respondents who have a reputation for power and influence. Findings show that the level of education experienced has a significant importance in the recruitment process of contemporary Turkish society. Holding at least one university degree has

become one of the most necessary conditions of the elite recruitment process. The quality and type of education obtained also has significant influence in achieving an elite position.