Religious Politics in Turkey
From the Birth of the Republic to the AKP

Presents an account of the rise of Erdogan's AKP, showing how the politicisation of religion has roots in the period of early nation-building in Turkey.

Ceren Lord (Author)

9781108458924, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 March 2020

386 pages
15 x 23 x 2 cm, 0.56 kg

'… every statement made is consistently supported by sound evidence and a broader theoretical framework that makes sense. The level of detail in the information provided and the extent of clarity and consistency makes this book not only a reliable read but also a distinguished example of the post-positivist outlook in Turkish studies.' Durukan Imrie-Kuzu, National Identities

Since the elections of 2002, Erdogan's AKP has dominated the political scene in Turkey. This period has often been understood as a break from a 'secular' pattern of state-building. But in this book, Ceren Lord shows how Islamist mobilisation in Turkey has been facilitated from within the state by institutions established during early nation-building. Lord thus challenges the traditional account of Islamist AKP's rise that sees it either as a grassroots reaction to the authoritarian secularism of the state or as a function of the state's utilisation of religion. Tracing struggles within the state, Lord also shows how the state's principal religious authority, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) competed with other state institutions to pursue Islamisation. Through privileging Sunni Muslim access to state resources to the exclusion of others, the Diyanet has been a key actor ensuring persistence and increasing salience of religious markers in political and economic competition, creating an amenable environment for Islamist mobilisation.

List of figures and tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1. How religious majoritarianism was institutionalised in the Early Republic
2. The struggle within the state: the Diyanet and Islamisation
3. Shaping the nation: the Diyanet's interventions against Alevism and the elevation of Sunni Islam
4. The expansion of the religious field in the multiparty era
5. The Islamist movement in Turkey and the rise of the AKP
6. The rise of the AKP and the struggle within and for the state since 2002
Conclusion
Appendix: presidents of the Diyanet
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Islam [HRH], Religion & politics [HRAM2], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]