University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2008 'WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:' THE AKP'S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY W. Jefferson West II University of Kentucky Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation West, W. Jefferson II, "'WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:' THE AKP'S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY" (2008). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 597. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/597 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION W. Jefferson West II The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 ‘WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:’ THE AKP’S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY ____________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ____________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By W. Jefferson West II Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Anna Secor, Professor of Geography Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © W. Jefferson West II 2008 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ‘WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:’ THE AKP’S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY In the 2002 national elections in Turkey, the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) won a majority of parliamentary seats and the leadership of all government ministries. Viewed by many voters as an alternative to both Turkey’s Kemalist establishment and the country’s Islamist political movement, this self described ‘conservative democratic’ party composed of former Islamist politicians and political neophytes sought to establish a Muslim political identity that was neither Islamist nor secular. This dissertation explores the discourse used by AKP politicians as they navigated several highly charged issues involving the religion-state relationship in Turkey. By examining what geographies AKP politicians articulated in discussing issues of religion and state, how they constructed Islam and the state through these articulations, and how these constructions compare to Kemalist and Islamist versions, this research strives to understand how these politicians are negotiating a moderate religious identity within a context of fundamentalist-secularist polarization. The research also presents an example of how recent changes observed in modern state spatiality are propagating beyond the economic dynamics usually studied. Drawing on statements made by AKP politicians in newspaper reports, legislative debates, and individual interviews, this project examines issues such as imam hatip schools, headscarves, the role of the Directorate of Pious Works, and Turkey’s geopolitical relationships to suggest answers to its research questions. The project concludes that a combination of religious and neoliberal logics is operating within the statements of the AKP politicians studied. By appealing to the individuality of religious choice, these AKP politicians differentiated their party from the deadlock of the Kemalist-Islamist polarity. Their appeal to individual choice suggests that the answer to providing the best welfare for the population is to reduce the state’s involvement in normal processes of everyday space and allow for God and the market to work their respective magics. Within their statements, the state retains a position as a source of knowledge, supporter of research, provider of information, and protector of order. However, the state loses its position as visionary leader and social engineer. KEYWORDS: Turkey, Islam, spatiality, state, AKP W. Jefferson West II April 8, 2008 ‘WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:’ THE AKP’S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY By W. Jefferson West II Anna Secor Director of Dissertation Richard Schein Director of Graduate Studies April 8, 2008 RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished theses submitted for the Doctor’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. DISSERTATION W. Jefferson West II The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 ‘WE ARE OBLIGATED TO THINK THAT THE STATE IS JUST:’ THE AKP’S GEOGRAPHIES OF ISLAM AND THE STATE IN TURKEY ____________________________________ DISSERTATION ____________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By W. Jefferson West II Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Anna Secor, Professor of Geography Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © W. Jefferson West II 2008 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following manuscript and the project from which it developed profited greatly from the guidance and support of many people. First and foremost, my advisor, Dr. Anna Secor, contributed generous amounts of thought, time, and material resources to this effort from the project’s early conceptualization to its final editing and polishing. Without her support, I would still be trying to decide how to make this whole thing work. Next, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Wolfgang Natter, Dr. Stanley Brunn, Dr. Karen Mingst, and Dr. Patricia Ehrkamp for the wealth of productive questions and comments proffered during their evaluations of this work at its various stages. Many other friends and family members provided immeasurable material and emotional support throughout this endeavor. I would like to particularly thank Jennifer Wies for patiently encouraging my work, feeding my mind, spirit, and body, providing playful distraction, and contributing her own time to helping get all the details completed. I would also like to thank Mehmet Kozan, Cumhur Cambolat, and Ahmet Eren for generously offering their time, kindness, and local knowledge in Ankara. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents who continue to encourage all my efforts to learn and grow. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements....................................................................................................……iii Chapter One ...............................................................................................................……. 1 Turkey’s 2002 Parliamentary Elections.........................................................……..1 The State ........................................................................................................……..3 Religion and the State....................................................................................……..4 Geography, Culture, and Politics...................................................................……..6 Research Questions........................................................................................……..7 Chapter Summaries........................................................................................……..8 Chapter Two.......................................................................................................................12 Approaching the State............................................................................................12 The State and the Geographies of Population Welfare..........................................21 The State, Religion, and Geography......................................................................25 Secularists and Fundamentalists ............................................................................26 Conclusion .............................................................................................................27 Chapter Three ....................................................................................................................29 From Empire to Modern State ...............................................................................29 Islam, the State, and the Formation of the Kemalist Hegemony ...........................30 From Kemalist Hegemony to the Hegemony of Division .....................................33 Enter the AKP........................................................................................................38 Conclusion .............................................................................................................39 Chapter Four ......................................................................................................................40 Examining Identity and Space ...............................................................................40 Methodologies .......................................................................................................45 Conclusion .............................................................................................................49