Activities In Turkey Research Articles

Unravelling anti-feminist social network in Turkey: An Analysis of Actors, relationships and political influence

ABSTRACT The surge of right-wing populism and illiberalism has fuelled the rise of anti-feminist movements in the past decade. This phenomenon has been particularly prominent in Turkey under President Erdoğan and his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP). However, until the past few years, existing research has largely neglected the role of social actors in Turkey, especially due to the top-down perspective of anti-feminism. Contributing the burgeoning studies, our aim is to explain anti-feminist social mobilization in the context of a strong top-down anti-feminist stance. Our findings revealed the existence of an anti-feminist social network in Turkey, which effectively exercises political influence through creating social reactions and mobilizing a broader public. This mobilization also confers legitimacy to the anti-feminist policies. Additionally, political actors shape network dynamics and interrelationships by creating exocentric hubs within the social network. Importantly, our research shows the significance of social actors in complementing strong top-down stances, even in environments characterized by pervasive ideological undercurrents.

Contesting the Kemalist State: The Land Question and the Grass Root Civic Activity in the 1920–1930s Turkey

The author scrutinizes the development of civil society in the early republican Turkey focusing on the models of its interaction with the state in the context of Kemalist revolution, namely the large-scale reforms of the 1920s and 1930s aimed at building the “New Turkey” as a modern secular nation-state. He analyses various manifestations of grass root civic activity in Turkey in the 1920s and 1930s. In doing so, it focuses on the rural population’s reaction to the Kemalist land and taxation reforms. The article contributes to the exiting literature in two following ways. First, it challenges the existing assumption that the rural population of the early Republican Turkey sporadically protested against only the most visible cases of social injustice. It also suggests counterarguments to the thesis that at that time the center and periphery had their own socio-political dynamics isolated one from another. Second, the article introduces to the reader a wide range of Turkish sources (e.g., “public columns” in the main periodicals of that time, petitions published in the yearly books of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, party inspectors’ reports stored in the fund of the Republican People’s Party). An analysis of the data presented in these sources and its comparison against already known historical facts form the article’s methodological framework. The author explains the key social contradictions about the land question. He further on defines the main forms of systemic grass root civic activity and the structural elements of the Kemalists social basis on the periphery. The main findings are that in the 1920–30s the rural Turkey witnessed both legal and illegal forms of resistance. The absence of a full-scale working formal state structure on the periphery made the Kemalist state curbing this resistance by using patron-client networks centered on the figures of “aga”, the wealthy local landlords and merchants.

The Religious Practices of Indonesian Students Studying in Turkey

The practice of religion for Indonesian students studying in Turkey deserves the attention of academics. This is because conditions, student backgrounds, distance and time differences between two countries can be factors in the fluctuations in the practice of religion for students. This research aims to prove whether Indonesian students in Turkey still consistently implement Islamic teachings. This research uses a qualitative research method with a case study approach to obtain in-depth data and information findings. The data collection technique used was interviews. The interview aspect is an important factor for student informants, to explore in detail and in depth about religious practices in Turkey. The research findings show that 1) Indonesian students still practice Islamic teachings while in Turkey, 2) Students use Islamic teachings and values as guidelines for carrying out daily activities and activities in Turkey, and 3) Students believe that religion is the basic motivation and guidance for life. strong and persistent in completing studies in Turkey.

The possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles in agricultural activities in Turkey

The possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles in agricultural activities in Turkey

Investigation of Preschool Teachers’ Views of Inclusive Mathematics Education

Inclusive education is based on the belief of having an educational philosophy in which all individuals will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for their effective inclusion in society. This study aims to examine preschool teachers' views on inclusive mathematics education activities in Turkey. Case study design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. The study group consisted of 15 preschool teachers. All of the teachers participating in the study were female. The study group was formed by convenient sampling method based on volunteerism. The data were collected through a personal information form and a semi-structured form. Content analysis technique was used to analyse the data. During the analysis of the data, codes and themes were created and visualised using MAXQDA 2024 qualitative data analysis software. According to the results obtained, preschool teachers have deficiencies in preparing differentiated lesson plans and content for inclusive mathematics education. In this context, it is recommended to overcome this deficiency by organising in-service training activities for preschool teachers. Additionally, it is recommended to create guidebooks to assist teachers in implementing inclusive mathematics education activities in preschool.

Learning from Civil Society Actors in Turkey: Using Transitional Justice in an Ongoing Conflict

ABSTRACT∞ This article examines the role of civil society in the implementation of transitional justice in Turkey’s ongoing Kurdish conflict, which is characterized by historical state violence and a lack of official transitional justice processes. Drawing on 24 interviews, the research reveals the evolution of civil society engagement from its peak during the 2013–2015 peace process to its decline under increasing authoritarianism. The research argues that, despite challenges, civil society retains the potential to drive incremental change in the absence of formal transitional justice mechanisms. However, the authoritarian regime has significantly curtailed its capacity, creating a limited civic space for transitional justice. The article highlights the need for stronger links between civil society in Turkey and international transitional justice scholarship. Such collaboration could empower activists, enabling them to overcome challenges and increase their effectiveness. Turkey offers a unique case for transitional justice scholars and practitioners to learn from civil society actors committed to pursuing justice.

Developing The World By Teaching Domestic Consumption: Swiss Supermarkets And The Emergence Of Development Aid Policies In The Early Postwar Period

In the early post-Second World War period, Migros of Switzerland was the first European retail business to adopt the American supermarket model. Its success, however, has not only been a matter of technological and logistical innovation. Migros’ founder, Gottlieb Duttweiler, was convinced that consumer education was part and parcel of a new style of selling consumption. This conviction was at the basis of a strategy entering foreign markets and of exporting the Migros model abroad. Similar to post-World War II economic rehabilitation programs, Duttweiler pursued an indigenous modernization agenda, based on a new principle of “rational consumption”—he did not hesitate to label this as a genuine version of entrepreneurial development aid. Against the backdrop of the establishment of Migros’ activities in Turkey, this article discusses the participation of entrepreneurs in the international development policies after the Second World War. The history of Migros Türk sheds light not only on the entrepreneurial approach to modernization policy, which was often different to that adopted in government programs, but also on how this influenced critical consumerism inside and outside Switzerland over the long term.

The threat to clean environment: The carbon footprint of forest camping activities as social tourism in Turkey and Lithuania

The most important factor in the emergence and growth of climate change and environmental problems is people’s transportation preferences. In this context, the aim of the research is to calculate the carbon footprint of individuals participating in camping activities in Turkey and Lithuania in the summer of 2022. In the study, the emission factors of preferred airplanes, urban buses and personal vehicles were used in the carbon footprint calculation process. In this research, the distance travelled by the individuals participating in the camping activities in Turkey and Lithuania in the summer period of 2022 with the travel vehicles they prefer for transportation was used. The total distance travelled in a summer period is 330,015 km in Turkey, the total distance travelled in a summer period is 132,331 km in Lithuania. In the analysis of the data set obtained through the official institutions from both countries and in the calculation of the carbon footprint, the emission factors of the preferred aircraft, urban buses and personal vehicles were used. According to the analysis, the total carbon footprint calculated for both countries is 73.54 tons. While the carbon footprint calculated for Turkey is 46.51 tons; for Lithuania, it is 23.83 tons. Depending on the travels made in Turkey, the average per capita carbon footprint is 10.70 kg, while in Lithuania it is 4.38 kg. The average per capita carbon footprint calculated for both countries is 15.08 kg. Regardless of their travel preference, the travels of people in both countries cause carbon footprints and contribute to the global climate change problem. It is seen that airway vehicles are used in Turkey due to the distances being much longer and this situation enlarges the carbon footprint. In Lithuania, the prominent carbon source is individual vehicle use.

The Other Side of LGBTI+ Activism in Turkey

Abstract Under the current AKP regime, an ideology of Turkish-Islamic supremacy has increasingly been gaining hold in Turkey. This has entailed profound changes across all social segments in the country, with those who conform to the ideology being rewarded and those who do not facing harsh punishment. The LGBTI+ movement, too, has been affected by these changes. The movement has been weakened not only by heavy political oppression, but also by neglecting ideological and practical relations with other—including Kurdish—segments of the social opposition. As a result, Kurdish LGBTI+ people have found themselves distanced from the movement. In this commentary I will describe and analyse this process of distance and removal as a Kurdish LGBTI+ person.

Lithospheric strength of the Anatolian plateau and implications for strong earthquake activity in Turkey

On February 6, 2023, the doublet earthquake including two main shocks with magnitudes MW7.8 and MW7.5, occurred near the western side of the East Anatolian Fault at the southeast boundary of the Anatolian Plateau in Turkey. Based on the WGM2012 Bouguer gravity anomaly data and the Etopo1 topography data, this study first introduced a joint inversion of admittance and coherence functions and used the Bayesian optimal parameter estimation method to obtain the effective elastic thickness Te and loading ratio F of the lithosphere for various tectonic units in the Anatolian Plateau. Secondly, we discussed the characteristics and influencing factors of the lithospheric mechanical strength and analyzed its relationship with seismic activity. The lithospheric mechanical strength of the Anatolian Plateau showed clear lateral heterogeneity and a "weak-strong-weak" spatial pattern from east to west, reflecting various tectonic processes. At last, the strong seismic activity was found where the lithospheric strength was low in the Anatolian Plate. We also incorporated GPS strain rate and other results to investigate the tectonic background and primary causes of the MW7.8 and MW7.5 doublet earthquakes in Turkey. The results have a good insight into urban safety design in the Turkish region, including post-disaster rehabilitation, earthquake hazard assessment, and loss reduction.

Cumhuriyet’in Kuruluş Dönemi Türkiye’sinde Turizm Faaliyetleri

İnsanların bir bölgeden başka bir bölgeye hareket etmesi kapsamında yapmış oldukları seyahat hareketleri ilk insana kadar dayandığı için turizm kavramının geçmişi de insanlık tarihi kadar eskiye dayanmıştır. XIX. yüzyılda Batı’da meydana gelen sanayi devrimiyle ulaşım araçlarında yaşanan gelişmeler insanların toplu, ekomomik ve güvenli bir şekilde başka coğrafyalara seyahat etmelerini kolaylaştırmıştır. Osmanlı Devleti de Batı’da ortaya çıkan turizm ve seyahat olgusundan yararlanmak için önemli adımlar atsa da istenilen kazanımı sağlayamamıştır. 1923 yılında Cumhuriyet ile Atatürk, tanıtım ve propaganda faaliyetleri için Türk Seyyahin Cemiyetini görevlendirmiştir. Atatürk, ülkenin doğal ve tarihi zenginliklerini dünyaya tanıtmak ve modern-demokratik Türkiye’yi bu sayede dünya vitrinine çıkarmak için turizm sektörünü önemli bir araç olarak görmüştür. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Atatürk döneminde turizm alanında ne gibi adımların atıldığını ve bu adımların ülke tanıtımına ve gelir anlamında ne kadar katkı sağladığını ortaya çıkarmaktır. Çalışmanın ana kaynağını arşiv belgeleri başta olmak üzere, dönemin turizm faaliyetlerini ortaya koyan ikincil kaynaklar oluşturmaktadır.

Securitization, fear politics, and the formation of an opposition alliance in competitive authoritarian regimes

ABSTRACT This article examines how opposition parties with diverse ideologies can form alliances in competitive authoritarian regimes despite the securitization strategy used by authoritarian incumbents. Using Turkey as a case study, the article demonstrates that an authoritarian leader may associate terrorism with opposition parties and may disseminate this fear to manipulate moderate voters and prevent coalition formation between niche parties. By analysing public speeches of political actors in Turkey, the study argues that if opposition parties recognize the vulnerabilities of the regime and believe that forming an alliance would gain support from the masses and encourage cross-party voting, then the securitization strategy would not deter them from forming a pre-electoral alliance. However, the failure of the securitization strategy to prevent opposition parties from forming an alliance does not guarantee opposition victory in elections. The securitization strategy employed by the authoritarian regime can still be utilized to effectively empower the authoritarian leader, enabling them to win elections by capitalizing on fear and depicting the opposition alliance as a security threat and a potential source of instability if they were to come into power.

A STUDY OF RELIGIOUS ISSUES INORHAN PAMUK’S THE WHITE CASTLE

Abstract:
 The present paper delves into the deep-seated conundrums about faith and secularist activities in Turkey that are prominently displayed Pamuk’s narrative. It also discusses Pamuk's depiction of the dominant value system, moral norms and religious standards in modern Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. The protagonist constantly find himself in unpleasant and perplexing circumstances due to the ongoing battle to define his religious identity. The clash between secularist values and religious fanaticism remains a contentious issue in contemporary Turkey.

Finding the ultimate pipe: Israel's covert activity to protect the rights of the Jewish community in Turkey (1960–1961)

How can a state advocate on behalf of a diaspora community whose minority rights are threatened in a foreign country without appearing as intervening in this country's domestic affairs, thereby jeopardizing their bilateral relations? This is precisely the dilemma that Israel faced in 1960 when the Turkish government decided to close the national Jewish institutions in Turkey at a time when Israeli-Turkish relations were becoming increasingly amicable. On the one hand, Israel wanted to act, but on the other, it did not want to jeopardize its relations with Turkey, a country very sensitive to issues of national sovereignty and minorities. Wanting to intervene but fearing an adverse reaction from Ankara, Israeli diplomats decided to secretly mobilize B'nai B'rith, a Jewish-American organization. Based on primary sources from Israeli and B'nai B'rith archives, we analyze the Israeli decision to intervene, its mode of implementation, and the challenges faced by Israeli officials concerning their interactions with the Jewish actors in Turkey and the United States. We present a form of multilateral diaspora engagement taking place in multiple geographies in which one Jewish diaspora—the Jewish-American organization B'nai B'rith—was mobilized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to perform unofficial diplomacy in the aid of another Jewish diaspora—the Jewish community in Turkey—for the purpose of reopening the latter's communal institutions. Looking at the motivations for engagement and the balances of power shaping it, we offer a new look on the dynamics of claiming and agency between states and diasporas.

CURRENT STATUS OF THE OPTICS INDUSTRY IN TURKEY AND THE USE AND APPLICATIONS OF PORTER'S MAIN STRATEGIES IN THE TURKISH OPTICS INDUSTRY

The subject of this study is to examine the competitive strategy of domestic and overseas corporal investors which form a 15% of Turkish optical industry. With the increase in number of companies entering Turkish optical sector, intensity of competition between existing and new entrants is observed. There are few studies that examining the question of whether organizations can achieve sustainable competitive advantage under severe competitive conditions. Generic on Porter’s generic competitive strategy models 8 corporate optical companies were interviewed and investigated for competitive strategies they have developed during their activities in Turkey. The updated taxonomy draft is classified under headings of cost leadership, differentiation and focus applied in the optical industry. It has been shown that organizations adopt differentiation strategies the most in order to move away from competition and increase preference by customers. It has been determined that organizations are sensitive about costs due to their negative economic experiences in past. In this countrywide study, it is seen that all three strategies are applied at similar rates. It also shows that organizations are cautious against opportunities and threats that may occur in optical sector.

Negotiated Conformism: Gender Norms, Everyday Politics and Pro-government Actors in Turkey

ABSTRACT Despite ideological alignment, right-wing populist constituencies and civic groups may openly resist and renegotiate the anti-gender and anti-feminist stances of populist parties through a process we call negotiated conformism. To analyse this phenomenon, we draw on two qualitative datasets from Turkey: one focusing on ordinary citizens who ideologically support and vote for the populist-conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP); the other on conservative and openly pro-AKP civil society organisations. Negotiated conformism brings three facts to light that contradict current literature on right-wing populism: 1) civil society actors and the constituency may demonstrate agency and independence from their parties with regard to gender equality; 2) populist parties fail to consolidate complete control over the civic space; and 3) multiple pathways exist to forge agency and subjectivity within populist gender orders and hierarchies. These findings highlight that populist constituencies are not homogenous and simply submissive actors, echoing only what the leaders of populist-conservative movements preach. The populist-authoritarian desire to polarise society into two clearly defined camps based on a conservative gender order does not always resonate with supporters. Our conclusion calls for the disaggregation and decentring of the ‘demand side’ of populism to account for its diverse practitioners and networks.

Governmental Activism in Turkey

Birbiriyle çekişmeli bir mücadele yürüten devlet ve toplumsal hareketler uzun süre ayrı iki alan olarak incelenmiştir. Literatürde yoğunlukla toplumsal hareketlerin devleti ve onun kurumlarını şekillendirmesi ele alınırken devletin bazı unsurlarının da toplumsal hareketler gibi davranması gündeme gelmektedir. Özellikle yerel yönetimlerin tepeden inmeci politikaları/projeleri kabul etmeyerek kent hareketleri ile eşgüdüm halinde, protesto dahil çeşitli toplumsal hareket yöntemlerini kullanarak hak aradıkları çekişmeli bir mücadele yöntemini benimsedikleri gözlemlenmektedir. Yerel Yönetimler bünyelerinde toplumsal hareketlerde kısıtlı olan bazı kaynakları da barındırabilmektedirler. Bu makalede Kamu Yönetimi, Yerel Yönetimler ve Toplumsal Hareketler literatürlerini kesen bir araştırma alanı olarak aktivist belediyeciliğin Türkiye’deki tarihsel arka planı, hangi siyasi, ekonomik ve toplumsal koşullarda şekillendiği ve güncel dinamikleri incelenecektir. Yerel yönetimlerin neden aktivizme yöneldiği, bu tür bir aktivizmin hangi konularda yoğunlaştığı ve hangi eylem repertuarlarına başvurduğu ve hangi devlet kurumlarını neden muhatap aldığı incelenecektir. Aktivist belediyeciliğin merkeziyetçi ve kalkınmacı eğilimlerden, yerel demokrasinin yükselişinden ve son olarak da toplumsal hareketlerin sonuç alıcı etkinliğinden kaynaklandığı öne sürülecektir.

A Struggle to Keep Environmental Protests Above Party Politics: The Cerattepe Case

The Cerattepe mining project for the extraction of gold and copper in the city of Artvin has been controversial since the mid-1980s. Local resistance against the project peaked in 2015-2016 in the form of blockages, sit-ins, social media protests, litigations, and signed petitions. This paper analyzes protests against the Cerattepe mining project in terms of their motivations, strategies, limitations, and political perceptions. Through an original survey analysis (N=253) and interview data, we find that the locals frame their activism as above party politics to keep a legitimate position in resisting the mining project. This strategy has remained intact for several years despite the politicization attempts of resistance from national-level political parties. We explain this strategy with the national consensus on prioritizing economic growth over environmental issues, neoliberal developmentalism with strong state support for private companies, and high levels of political polarization in society. Overall, the study offers an understanding of the challenges in front of environmental issue-based activism in Turkey and reveals the strategies of locals in resisting an environmentally destructive mining project.

Emotions and resistance in diaspora: the case of Australia’s Kurds from Turkey

ABSTRACT This paper examines the emotional motives behind the reproduction and maintenance of Kurdishness as a transnational social identity among Kurds from Turkey residing in Melbourne, Australia. Drawing from 15 face-to-face, in-depth interviews with members of the Kurdish diaspora, we argue that the collective victimhood experienced by Kurds in response to repressive assimilationist state policies and crackdowns on political rights and activities in Turkey has played a significant role in shaping diasporic Kurdish identity. Our findings, however, reveal that resistance and resilience have also emerged among the members of the Kurdish diaspora in Australia, and are now equally integral to the construction and preservation of Kurdishness. By exploring the complex interplay between emotions, victimhood, resistance and resilience, this paper sheds light on the ongoing struggles and shifting diaspora identities.

Fraternal natalism: demographic anxieties and the righteous state in Turkey

This article develops the concept of fraternal natalism to examine the long-standing alliances between different state actors in Turkey –governments, physicians, religious authorities, and the military– to build, restore, and consolidate reproductive righteousness. It argues that fraternal natalism relies on a narrative of a national crisis to put forward and justify controversial policies in line with the Turkish state's reproductive imaginaries. This natalism provokes demographic anxieties about religious and ethnoracialized “others,” casting them as inherently dangerous for the nation's continuity and security. Looking at these strategies through the lens of fraternal natalism exposes the continuities and disjunctures in reproductive righteousness rather than exceptionalizing particular actors and historical periods. It also reveals how religious rhetoric and constructions of race/ethnicity are mutually foundational in the formation of reproductive politics. Although the article develops the concept through a historical and discursive analysis of reproductive politics in Turkey, it can be applied to other contexts to chart the complex configurations of state actors involved in molding reproductive behaviors and population practices.