Civil Society and Women's Organisations in Turkey: A Summary of Key Research Findings

Abstract

The findings presented here are based on a seven month research study conducted by the author in 2013/14 as part of her PhD dissertation. The study sought to examine the societal role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Turkey. Five key questions guided this research. They were: How does the state and other powerful political actors (i.e. the European Union) influence CSOs?; What are the societal role of CSOs?; Do CSOs advance democracy and specifically women’s rights?; What is the nature of interaction between different categories of CSOs?; How do CSOs operate within the specific socio-political context of Turkey? A total of 50 qualitative interviews were conducted with CSOs from across the seven geographical regions of Turkey. The majority (38 of 50) of these interviews were with women’s CSOs, and it is the information to emerge from these interviews which is summarised here. This document is the short research report which was shared by the author with the women's organisations interviewed and is available in both English and Turkish.