The Origins of Legal Deposit in Turkey

The emergence of the idea of legal deposit in its cultural context in Turkey can be traced back to the Ottoman era, prior to the Republic. The Ottoman reforms launched to westernize and modernize the state brought striking changes in both the social and cultural spheres. This transformation played an important role in the introduction of legal deposit. Legal deposit was at first considered and utilized for controlling the activities of printing presses and publications within the framework of legal arrangements. Later, the cultural function of legal deposit was more fully recognized and it became an important subject of discussion. The aim of this study is to examine the emergence of legal deposit, its meaning and its conceptual transformation, in light of the introduction of the printing press in the country and subsequent reforms in the areas of education and administration.