Post-Kemalist secularism in Turkey
: a history of the Justice and Development party

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

This thesis is an analytical study of secularism in contemporary Turkey by tracing its historical trajectory within the context of political transformation in a country that experienced a social and cultural rupture in its formative years. Its principal focus is on the policies and practices of the current ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (JDP), which has influenced the process of change, evolution, and transformation with regard to secularism and state policies toward religion. Following its foundation in 2001, the JDP developed a unique approach to conceptualising the relationship between state and religion. In contrast to other mainstream parties and political positions both in the past and present, it offers an alternative vision and model to that of inherited Kemalist secularism, as formulated by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (the founder of modern Turkey) and refined by his close associates in the formative period of the Republic. The theme of secularism informs this dissertation’s fundamental research questions: To what extent has the JDP managed to create and institutionalise a different mode of secularism in Turkey? Did the JDP managed to replace Kemalist secularism with the new mode? Grounded in the multiple modernities paradigm, the argument of this thesis is that, in the post-2010 era in Turkey, two localized models of secularism(s) compete with one another at the national level: Kemalist secularism (though recorded some degree of change but remained largely against religion in public sphere) and Post-Kemalist secularism, both of which were subject to attitudinal shifts and changing practices. In response to social and political realities of Turkey, this process continues today, as rival approaches to secularism compete with one another to attain political dominance and implementation as well as public support. To elucidate each of these, the research analyses the evolution of social policy in three areas: education, the headscarf ban, non-Muslim minorities, and Alevis. This thesis draws its findings from in-depth interviews with members of political parties, civil society activists and religious leaders, as well as primary sources, such as party documents, transcripts of speeches, biographies, official reports, public surveys and legal documents, covering the period between 2002 and 2019.
Date of Award1 Jul 2021
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • King's College London
SupervisorStacey Gutkowski (Supervisor) & Michael Kerr (Supervisor)

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