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Religion and Politics in Turkey: A Century of Contradictions

by Dr. Racho Donef — Sydney, Australia. August 07, 2022.

Posted: Monday, August 22, 2022 at 11:43 AM UT


Religion and Politics in Turkey: A Century of Contradictions by Dr. Racho Donef.

Religion and Politics in Turkey:
A Century of Contradictions

by Dr. Racho Donef

Purchase Information: Amazon | Lulu

Book Details

  • Publisher: ‎ Racho Donef / Tatavla Publishing (August 7, 2022)
  • Language: ‎ English
  • Paperback: ‎ 338 pages
  • ISBN-10: ‎ 0987423932
  • ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0987423931
  • Item Weight: ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions: ‎ 6 x 0.77 x 9 inches

Book Description

The present study is about the interplay of politics and religion in Turkey. This study was originally prepared as a thesis for the requirement of a doctorate in philosophy degree in the field of political science. Some changes were required to the present book as a thesis is intended for a very narrow readership and it was necessary to update some of the content to some extent reflect the latest developments in the Turkish political process.

The title suggests that these two fields can be separated, but the boundaries between them are amorphous. The stated objective of laicism by the early Republican regime did not translate to laicisation i.e. separation of religion and politics, but it remained a forceful state narrative until Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came to power. I argue that the entire project of laicism project was flawed in execution. Separation of religion and politics did not occur; instead, the management of “religion”, i.e. Sunni Islam, became a state project.

My core argument is that there is no observable distinction between institutional religion and politics in contemporary Turkey, noting that nationalism played an agglutinative role in connecting the two fields.

Turkey under Erdoğan provided a striking example of the mutual interrelatedness of religion and politics with the state no longer promoting Kemalist ideology or laicism. The foundation myths are no longer useful as the governing party now produces different kind of discourse, for instance martyrdom, using Islamic motives. The original project to manage, control and define Islam through the monopoly of one party and ideology has transformed the state to a near monopoly of another party, which still constructs and defines Islam, nationalism and civic life.

About the Author

Racho Donef has a number of qualifications at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the humanities and social sciences, including a doctorate in Anthropology focusing on four ethnic minorities from Turkey. Dr Donef completed his second doctorate in Politics in 2020 focusing on religion and politics in Turkey. He has published a number of books and articles on Assyrians and minorities in Turkey and delivered lectures on topics related to Turkey and the Middle East. He has longstanding commitment to Workers Education Association in Sydney, where he continues to deliver lectures on a number of subject matters.




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