The historiography of Turkey has until recently exhibited a solid state bias in the study of the formative years of the republic. Conversely, the intersection of the state with local power networks has been understudied. This paper studies the dynamics of local political networks as exemplified in the case study of Esat Adil Müstecaplıoğlu, an exceptional case of a local political broker with leftist leanings in a provincial urban setting in the 1930s. Focusing on a local feud he was involved in and its aftermath, the article studies the dynamic relations, simultaneously conciliatory and conflictual, between local power brokers and state elites within local politics; how networks of patronage operated and shaped the relation between state and society. In doing so, the article explores the state’s infrastructural limits to operate without the cooperation of local power brokers and considers the significance of these dynamics for the ongoing Kemalist nation-building programme. Lastly, it argues that in appearing co-optive towards local elites the state acknowledged its low political legitimacy and the weakness of its ‘cultural constituency’—educated middle classes.

直到最近，土耳其的史学在共和国发展时期的研究中都表现出一种固态偏见。相反，该州与地方电网的交集已被研究不足。本文以Esat AdilMüstecaplıoğlu的案例研究为例，研究了当地政治网络的动态，Esat AdilMüstecaplıoğlu是1930年代在省级城市环境中带有左派倾向的地方政治经纪人的特例。本文着重于他所参与的地方争执及其后果，研究了地方权力经纪人与地方政治内部的国家精英之间的动态关系，既有调解又有冲突。赞助网络如何运作并塑造国家与社会之间的关系。在这样做，本文探讨了在没有当地电力经纪人合作的情况下该州的基础设施限制，并考虑了这些动态变化对正在进行的Kemalist国家建设计划的重要性。最后，它认为，在对当地精英的共舞中，国家承认其政治合法性低下以及受过教育的中产阶级的“文化选区”的弱点。