Gamble brings Kirk to the Turks

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Gamble brings Kirk to the Turks
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Richard Gamble | Courtesy

Gamble’s support of the Turkish translation of Russell Kirk’s “The Conservative Mind” will assist a small, growing group of conservatives hoping to bring stability to a country in chaos.

At the request of Annette Kirk from The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal and the Turkish Journal of Conservative Thought, Professor of History Richard Gamble raised money over the spring and summer to translate Russell Kirk’s book into Turkish for the first time.

“There’s a group of academics in Turkey — conservative in a broad sense — with a lot of knowledge about post-World War II conservatism,” Gamble said. “They look a lot like the early stages of certain conservative groups that emerged in America in the early 1950s and ’60s, trying to recover, sustain, and promote conservative principles and free-market principles.”

Gamble met with members of the Journal of Conservative Thought in May 2012, while leading the annual trip to Turkey for the then-Hillsdale College Honors Program, now Collegiate Scholars Program. Members of the Journal of Conservative Thought contacted Annette Kirk, the wife of the late Russell Kirk, about the possibility of translating Kirk’s book into Turkish.

“Annette Kirk…was happy to hear about the Turkish translation of the book and helped us a great deal and asked us to contact Dr. Gamble,” Turkish translator Okan Arslan said in an email. “Dr. Gamble has helped us a lot and raised the necessary funds for the copyrights of the book.”

Annette Kirk said she was enthusiastic about the project, after hearing stories from Gamble and Honors Program students, whom she hosts semi-annually at her home in Mecosta, Michigan.

“I spread the word to people who knew me and people who had a connection to Turkey through traveling there,” Gamble said. “We were able to raise all the funds they need for copyright costs, and they’re moving forward with the translation.”

Once Gamble raised the $1,200 to purchase the copyright, Annette Kirk said, he then donated the funds to the Kirk Center, who sent the money as a grant to the translators in Turkey.

“Dr. Gamble has a wonderful network to draw upon, and it’s wonderful that we can keep Kirk’s book alive,” Annette Kirk said.

Her husband’s books are available in more than a dozen languages. In addition to Turkish, “The Conservative Mind” is being translated into Japanese and Portuguese.

“The book is known as a master piece in political science and conservative thought,” Arslan said. “The aim is to ensure the translation of outstanding conservative works into Turkish. Unfortunately, conservative literature in Turkish is remarkably scarce.”

Arslan said the book is about one-fifth finished and will be published before the Journal of Conservative Thought’s conference on conservatism next fall.

Gamble said the journal’s founders are well-versed in the 20th-century American movement and in conservatism in general, including the works of noted writers Eric Voegelin, Michael Oakeshott, and Edmund Burke.

Arslan’s most recent published work was a Turkish version of Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France,” which, since its publication in 1790, has become a classic text for defenders of constitutional government.

This study of the history of conservatism informs Turkish conservatives’ take on current politics, as well, Gamble said.

After the recent military attempt to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the topic of the Journal of Conservative Thought’s annual conference this fall shifted from “The International Symposium on the Future of Conservatism” to the more pressing “Coups d’etat.”

“What was so fascinating in July, when this happened, was that the people I know in Turkey connected to these libertarian and conservative movements were absolutely opposed to the coup attempt,” Gamble said. “These academics believed that no matter what their disagreements were with the current government, this was a democratically elected, constitutional government, and there was no place for military coups.”

Although he finds the conflict between Turkish universities and their governments fascinating, Gamble said he decided that he will postpone his return to Turkey until the Journal of Conservative Thought’s conference on conservatism in November 2017, when the translation will be published.

The translation will contribute to the growing conservative movement in the Eastern European country, Arslan said.

“Conservatism is on the rise due to the policies of the ruling Justice and Development Party; yet, conservatism still lacks a clear definition in Turkey,” Arslan said. “I believe that the movement is gaining importance as its definition becomes clearer. Turkey is aware of the fact that it may not proceed through the future without considering its traditional institutions and history as well as individual freedoms.”