A Comparative Analysis of Turkish and Pakistani Quest for Modernity

Abstract

The term modernity is frequently used to describe societies that are founded on the values of individual freedom. The advancement of modernity generates changes in the organisation of nations. In order to make way for democratic authority, administrative rationality, and industrialization, states experienced secularization. Hence, the process of modernization in Turkey and Pakistan originated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Following their respective independence in 1923 in Turkey and 1947 in Pakistan, both countries underwent a process of modernization. Nevertheless, both nations encountered numerous obstacles such as conservative ideologies, turmoil in politics, unstable economy, military interference in civil governance, and the enforcement of secular policies that established the state as the primary authority in the relationship between government and religion. Secular policies emerged as a prominent consequence of modernization in Turkey and Pakistan, assuming a central role in the relations between the state and religion The study seeks to comprehend the process of modernization in Turkey and Pakistan by means of comparative analysis and their respective responses to changes. Additionally, it examines the societal, economic, and political progress of both nations. Therefore, this study is divided into two portions. First portion explains the evolution of modernism in Turkey and Pakistan prior to independence. Second portion of the study focuses on the policies adopted by the government officials after independence. The research utilizes a comparative historical methodology. The primary objective of comparative historical analysis is to gain a thorough understanding of the complex processes and enormous structures that provide important insights into the structure of social existence. Comparative historical studies focus on significant subjects with profound implications, including the modernization process, revolutionary movements, industrial progress, and ongoing societal change.