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Debating Post-Secularism Under the Akp Rule TRANSFORMATION OF SECULARISM IN TURKEY: DEBATING POST-SECULARISM UNDER THE AKP RULE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY EMRAH KONURALP IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION JULY 2016 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata Supervisor Examining Committee Members (first name belongs to the chairperson of the jury and the second name belongs to supervisor) Prof. Dr. Alev Çınar (Bilkent, ADM) Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata (METU, ADM) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Ayürk (METU, IR) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cem Deveci (METU, ADM) Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Aytürk (Bilkent, ADM) PLAGIARISM I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Emrah Konuralp Signature : iii ABSTRACT TRANSFORMATION OF SECULARISM IN TURKEY: DEBATING POST-SECULARISM UNDER THE AKP RULE Konuralp, Emrah Ph.D., Department of Political Science and Public Administration Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata August 2016, 306 pages Post-secularism literature has been developed to respond the need for resolving problem of pluralism in the Western societies by putting emphasis on inviting the religious to the public sphere. The main goal of this research is to transpose this literature to the analysis of Turkish experience which is an officially secular and predominantly Muslim context. Turkey under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) can be considered as an example of post-secularism. The AKP is seen as an evolution of political Islamist National Outlook movement which antagonised secularisation in Turkey. Dissimilarly, the AKP did not challenge the secular credential of the Republic of Turkey directly and acted in between secularism and Islam. This ‘in-between-ness’ can be seen as a reflection of post-secularism. Nonetheless, the main thesis in this research is: Turkey under the AKP-rule cannot be considered as post-secular and this is assessed along with the following criteria of conditions for post-secularism in Turkey: (1) consolidated democracy; (2) deeply established secularism as a political principle; (3) the objective guarantees on the freedom of religion and conscience; (4) management of problem of pluralism; and (5) analysis of the AKP in relation to post-Islamism. Keywords: Post-Secularism, Turkish Secularism, AKP iv ÖZ TÜRKİYE’DE LAİKLİĞİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: AKP İKTİDARINDA POST-SEKÜLARİZM TARTIŞMASI Konuralp, Emrah Doktora, Siyaset Bilimleri ve Kamu Yönetimi Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata Ağustos 2016, 306 sayfa Post-sekülarizm literatürü, Batılı toplumlardaki çoğulculuk problemini çözme ihtiyacına kamusal alana dinsel olanı davet ederek yanıt vermek üzere gelişti. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı da bu literatürü resmiyette seküler ve büyük çoğunluğu Müslüman olan Türkiye deneyiminin analizine aktarmaktır. Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) yönetimi altındaki Türkiye post-sekülarizmin bir örneği olarak düşünülebilmektedir. AKP, Türkiye’nin sekülerleşmesine karşı konumlandırılan, siyasal islamcı Milli Görüş hareketinin evrimi olarak görülmektedir. Fakat AKP selefinden farklı olarak Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin sekülerliğine doğrudan meydan okumamış; sekülarizm ve İslam arasında hareket etmişti. Bu arada kalmışlık post- sekülarizmin bir yansıması olarak görülebilir. Ancak, bu çalışmanın temel tezi şudur: AKP yönetimi altındaki Türkiye, post-seküler olarak değerlendirilemez. Bu tez, Türkiye’de post-sekülarizmin koşullarını şu kriter üzerinden ele alır: (1) konsolide olmuş bir demokrasi, (2) siyasal bir ilke olarak kökleşmiş bir laiklik, (3) din ve vicdan özgürlüğünün nesnel güvenceleri, (4) çoğulculuk probleminin yönetimi ve (5) AKP’nin post-İslamcılığa bağlı olarak analizi. Anahtar Kelimeler: Post-Sekülarizm. Türk Laikliği, AKP v TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM .......................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ............................................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1.INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Description of the Thesis ....................................................................... 1 1.2. Methodology ....................................................................................... 10 2.LITERATURE ON SECULARISATION AND POST-SECULARISM ............. 13 2.1. Concepts of and Theories on Secularisation ....................................... 13 2.1.1. Signification of 'Religion' ..................................................... 15 2.1.2. Secularisation in the West ................................................... 17 2.1.3. A Secular Age: Religion as an Option ................................... 20 2.1.4. The Multicultural Challenge ................................................ 26 2.1.5. Multiple Modernities? ......................................................... 29 2.1.6. Marketisation of Religion .................................................... 33 2.1.7. Public Nature of Religions ................................................... 36 2.1.8. Towards Post-Secularism .................................................... 41 2.1.9. A Democracy without Secularism? ...................................... 53 2.2. The Debates about Turkey .................................................................. 56 2.3. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 105 3.A HISTORY OF MODERNISATION AND THE RISE OF POLITICAL ISLAM IN TURKEY ............................................................................................. 107 3.1. A History of Modernisation in Turkey ............................................... 107 3.1.1. Sources of Ottoman Modernisation .................................. 108 vi 3.1.2. Nation-Building .................................................................. 115 3.1.3. Softening of Secularism ..................................................... 125 3.1.4. Educational Twist .............................................................. 131 3.1.5. The MSP Event ................................................................... 134 3.1.6. Post-80 Settlement ............................................................ 138 3.1.7. Political Islam on the Rise .................................................. 143 3.1.8. The Views of the Judiciary and Islamists on Secularism .... 145 3.2. Political Islam in Turkey ..................................................................... 150 3.2.1. What Is 'Political' About Islamism? ................................... 151 3.2.2. Common Ground: Gülen and Erdoğan .............................. 157 3.2.3. The Economic Dimension .................................................. 162 3.2.4. The Global Encounter ........................................................ 172 3.3. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 177 4.THE AKP: A POST-SECULAR MOMENT? .................................................... 179 4.1. Analysis of the Justice and Development Party Rule in Turkey ........ 179 4.1.1. Formation and Base of the AKP ......................................... 180 4.1.2. Conceptions of Democracy................................................ 188 4.1.3. Proactivısatıon in Islamic Agenda ...................................... 208 4.1.4. Conservatism of the AKP ................................................... 215 4.2. The Headscarf and Alevi Issues ......................................................... 230 4.3. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 247 5.CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 249 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 260 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................ 286 A. CURRICULUM VITAE ............................................................................. 286 B. TURKISH SUMMARY ............................................................................. 287 C. TEZ FOTOKOPİSİ İZİN FORMU............................................................... 306 vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1. Description of the Thesis The relationship between religion and politics has been one of the mostly debated issues of political science. Concerning the proper place of the sacred within state and society relations, there are differing
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