Traditional Sports and Physical Culture Studies in Turkology Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis

Objective: This study examined the structure, development, and thematic organization of research on traditional sports and physical culture within Turkology literature through a bibliometric approach. Methods and Materials: Records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using a structured topic search. A total of 264 publications were included and analyzed through descriptive bibliometric indicators and science-mapping techniques. Publication trends, author productivity, country contributions, keyword patterns, co-occurrence structures, thematic clusters, and citation patterns were assessed. Results: The literature showed limited activity before 2010, followed by gradual growth and a clearer increase after 2015. Author productivity was widely dispersed, with no dominant author group or consolidated research core. Türkiye was the leading contributor, followed by Russia and the United States, while contributions from other countries indicated gradual internationalization. Keyword and thematic analyses showed that the field is mainly shaped by cultural, historical, and geographical perspectives. Sport-specific terms appeared less frequently and were usually embedded within broader socio-cultural discussions rather than treated as a separate sport-science domain. The citation structure also suggested a fragmented knowledge base with limited intellectual consolidation. Conclusion: Traditional sports research within Turkology remains interdisciplinary, text-centered, and conceptually dispersed. Although academic interest has increased, the field still lacks a stable theoretical foundation and a clearly defined disciplinary identity. More focused, theoretically informed, and methodologically integrated studies are needed to strengthen the conceptual coherence of this research area.