THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE AND MUSTAFA KEMAL PASHA THROUGH THE EYES OF AMERICAN BOARD'S PERIODICAL, THE MISSIONARY HERALD (1919-1923)

Abstract

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was an organization
founded in Boston in 1810 to carry out missionary activities outside the United States. Missionary
activities gained momentum especially in the early nineteenth century with the impact of the
religious revival periods that emerged in the United States.The ABCFM emerged as the center of religious awakenings in the New England region and
expanded its activities by sending missionaries around the world. The organization had a significant
sphere of influence in regions such as India, the Middle East, Anatolia and the Balkans, especially
within the borders of the Ottoman Empire. In accordance with their instructions, these missionaries
regularly submitted detailed reports of the regions where they served to the American Board and
this information was published in the monthly magazine The Missionary Herald, which played an
important role as a magazine containing detailed information, statistics, news and reports on the
activities of ABCFM missionaries around the world. The magazine contains information on the
geographical, cultural and social characteristics of the region, as well as the economic situation,
education, health, transportation and other fields of activity of the missionaries. In this article, the
activities of the ABCFM in Turkey will be analyzed through the issues of The Missionary Herald
between 1919 and 1923. Through the news, reports, articles and letters of this period, the
perspectives of the missionaries on the developments in Turkey, especially on Mustafa Kemal
Pasha and the National Struggle, will be tried to be explained. This evaluation will contribute to our
understanding of the evolution of the ABCFM's missionary activities in Turkey.