From Gallipoli to Independence: Turkish and Australian Students' Perspectives

Given the broad public appeal of WWI commemorations and in consideration of their inclusion in school curriculum, the question is raised of how do Turkish and Australian students view the importance and ways of commemorating the Gallipoli campaign? This comparative study, the first of its kind approaches this current gap in understanding how high school students view this historical event. The focus of this paper is to report on research conducted in Australian and Turkish high schools during the centenary years of WWI commemorations. 185 high school students agreed to participate and share their perspectives on commemorating Gallipoli and to respond to a series of five sources provided to them as part of the research activity. How students responded to the sources and engaged with questions of commemoration is detailed throughout this paper.