Citizenship and Identity in Turkey: From Atatürk’s Republic to the Present Day

Synopsis

Is Turkish nationalism simply a product of Kemalist propaganda from the early Turkish Republic, or an inevitable consequence of a firm and developing 'Turkish' identity? How do the politics of nationalism and identity limit Turkey's progression towards a fuller, more institutionalised democracy? Turkish citizenship is a vital aspect of today's Republic, and yet it has long been defined only through legal framework, neglecting its civil, political and social implications. Here, Ba?ak ?nce seeks to rectify this, examining the identity facets of citizenship, and how this relates to nationalism, democracy and political participation in the modern Turkish republic.Citizenship and Identity in Turkey thus unpicks the concept of citizenship through the turbulent changes that Turkey's recent history has seen, from the transition to multi-party politics in 1946, followed by a series of military interventions in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, to an era of government which has its ideological roots in political Islam. These huge internal shifts are compounded by growing external pressures that bear on Turkish identity and politics, through the impact of globalisation and European Union membership processes. It is precisely thesechallenges and changes that prompt ?nce to argue that Turkey must change its attitude towards citizenship. She contends that the enduring concept of national identity from the single-party period, based on a single religion (Sunni Islam) and language (Turkish), is simply to narrow and problematic a definition today - one that cannot absorb a complex reality of ethnic diversity and change. Proposing a more inclusive approach, in line with Habermas's concept of 'constitutional patriotism', she instead puts forward the case for citizens bound together by subscription to democratic values and human rights.By tracing the development of citizenship from the initial founding of the Republic to the present day, this book offers in-depth analysis of the interaction of state and society in modern Turkey, which holds wider implications for the study of the Middle East.

Copyright:

2012

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780857733627

Related ISBNs:

9781780760261

Publisher:

Bloomsbury Publishing

Date of Addition:

02/12/20

Copyrighted By:

Ba

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics and Government

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.