Proceedings

A Case Study of Yunus Emre Institute’s Language Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the ‘My Choice Is Turkish’ Project as an Example of Turkish as A Selective Foreign Language in Schools

Authors

  • Yunus Dilber
    PhD Student, International University of Sarajevo, International Relations
The article investigates the Turkish language policy implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, one of Türkiye’s soft power proponents. This investigation is conducted from the perspective of soft power, which has emerged as a prominent form of influence in global politics over the past three decades. In this context, the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü’s overall Turkish teaching policy will be briefly outlined before focusing on the “My Choice is Turkish” project. The primary focus of the study will be the Turkish language program “Tercihim Türkçe” (“My Choice is Turkish”). During the 2009–2010 academic year, the study will examine how the project implemented Turkish as a foreign language in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s elementary schools and the activities conducted within this framework. Using data from the BiH statistical institution regarding the teaching of Turkish in schools, we will also review information from the YEE homepage, news, and academic research on these initiatives. As part of Türkiye’s language policy, the “My Choice is Turkish” project is the subject of this research. Over 100 Bosnian Turkish teachers conduct a 4- or 8-year learning process that includes high school education, making this project the largest Turkish learning community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with about 170 schools dispersed throughout seven cantons. Its influence has grown to encompass a significant portion of the entire country.

A Case Study of Yunus Emre Institute’s Language Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the ‘My Choice Is Turkish’ Project as an Example of Turkish as A Selective Foreign Language in Schools

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Publication Information

Alili, B., & Ethem, H. . (Eds.). (2025). A Case Study of Yunus Emre Institute’s Language Policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the ‘My Choice Is Turkish’ Project as an Example of Turkish as A Selective Foreign Language in Schools. In 6th International Balkan Summer School Balkans and Global Politics Proceedings: Vol. Proceedings 05 (pp. 159-177). Idefe Publications. https://doi.org/10.5331/