I. Introduction
November 1925 marked the year in Turkish history when the first dress code reform was implemented in the new Turkish Republic, also known as the Hat Law of 1925. To many the implementation of this law may just be simply seen as a dress reform, but in reality it has had many more implications for the Turkish people. The law aimed to drive the Turkish people away from their Ottoman roots and towards presenting a more modernized and westernized society. The law did more than just change the appearance of people; it also changed different aspects of society. Using a form of modernization theory provided by (Lerner / Tipps), this paper will evaluate the aspects of the nation building process in Turkey that were affected by the Hat Law of 1925. Using background information and research through journal articles, discussions regarding secularism, class structure, and westernization will be built in order to show the relationship and the effect of the Hat Law of 1925 on the nation building process in Turkey.
II. Background
a. The History of Dress Reform in the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire has a long history of implementing dress reforms as signifiers of different kinds of hierarchy. Most commonly, dress codes were used to enforce rank in social classes and the military. According to Quataert, his article “Clothing Laws in the Ottoman Empire, 1720-1829” states that the dress code law remained mostly the same from the 16th century until the early-18th century