Islamism in republican Turkey

Dalacoura, Katerina ORCID: 0000-0001-5024-7528 (2024) Islamism in republican Turkey. In: Tee, Caroline, Vicini, Fabio and Dorroll, Philip C., (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Religion in Turkey. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780197624883

Text (Dalacoura__Islamism-in-republican-Turkey--accepted) - Published Version Repository staff only until 23 January 2026. Download (341kB) | Request a copy

• Author

Abstract

The chapter discusses Islamism in republican Turkey and assesses its future in Turkey’s current social and political context. It argues that, if Islamism is understood as a political ideology that seeks to restructure the political process and, through it, to reform society according to Islamic principles, Islamism has been and will remain a movement of important but limited political appeal in republican Turkey. On the basis of this narrow definition, the chapter analyzes two strands of Islamism, the nationalist variety associated with Milli Görüş (National Outlook) and the ‘renewalist’ variety seeking to reform Islam through a re-reading of its foundational texts. Strands from conservative parties merged with elements of nationalist Islamism to constitute the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party), which has been in power in Turkey since 2002. Ultimately, Turkish Islamism may have opposed the republic, but it was also, inevitably, a product of its sociopolitical and legal context.

Item Type:	Book Section
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197624883.001...
Divisions:	International Relations
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2024 17:39
Last Modified:	01 Apr 2024 08:08
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/122386

Actions (login required)

View Item