ABSTRACT
In Turkey today, teaching reflects a profession that is dealt with in the context of market relations more than idealism. Since the beginning of the republic, the profession of teaching has included features of the professionalism concept in which the teacher is regarded as a person who knows teaching/learning and is “knowledgeable.” Nevertheless, neoliberal policies transformed Turkey’s social, political, and economic conditions, especially after the 1980s. Under these market conditions, the structure and function of public education and the professional qualities of teachers have become more about the technical dimensions of their work than their professionalism. As a result, the professional identity of teachers is left to that of a proletarian, who can be externally directed, is competitive among their peers, and lacks job security.
