Nursing Between the Lines: The Social Reflection of the Profession in the Turkish Press (1929–1954)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to examine the social discourse and representations of the nursing profession in Türkiye between 1929 and 1954. Methods: This qualitative study used data from the Muteferriqa Digital Newspaper Archive covering newspapers published between 1929 and 1954. Historical document analysis and critical discourse analysis were applied concurrently. A total of 782 newspaper issues were screened and 126 news items meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed. Coding was conducted independently by three researchers and discursive patterns were synthesized under four period-based thematic clusters. Results: Representations of nursing were structured around four discursive clusters. During the 1930s, nursing was portrayed as a domain of “moral service” and a “marker of civilization” aligned with the Republic’s modernization project, with care work linked to compassion and national responsibility. In 1939–1945, discourse became markedly militarized, framing nursing through notions such as “the health army” and “service to the nation.” Between 1946 and 1950, professionalization emerged through extended training programs and strengthened medical curricula. By 1950–1954, nursing gained heightened public visibility through World Nurses Day celebrations, representing the profession both as a modern field of expertise and as a role linked to emotional labor and ideals of service. Conclusion: Early Republican press discourse portrayed nursing as a multilayered construct in which professionalization narratives coexisted with traditional gendered expectations. The findings indicate that the historical construction of the nursing profession in Türkiye was shaped through the intersection of modernization goals and enduring societal gender norms.