Religious Politics in Turkey

Since the elections of 2002, Erdogan's AKP has dominated the political scene in Turkey. This period has often been understood as a break from a 'secular' pattern of state-building. But in this book, Ceren Lord shows how Islamist mobilisation in Turkey has been facilitated from within the state by institutions established during early nation-building. Lord thus challenges the traditional account of Islamist AKP's rise that sees it either as a grassroots reaction to the authoritarian secularism of the state or as a function of the state's utilisation of religion. Tracing struggles within the state, Lord also shows how the state's principal religious authority, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) competed with other state institutions to pursue Islamisation. Through privileging Sunni Muslim access to state resources to the exclusion of others, the Diyanet has been a key actor ensuring persistence and increasing salience of religious markers in political and economic competition, creating an amenable environment for Islamist mobilisation.

'A captivating book and a welcome addition to a growing genre of critical scholarship on secularism in Turkey.' Sinem Adar, EuropeNow, '… [Religious Politics in Turkey] makes an important point that should revise our understanding of Turkish politics.' David C. Unger, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, '… rich with ideas and detail …' John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs, '… Religious Politics in Turkey enables the reader not only to overcome the superficial struggle between authoritarian laicism deriving from state elites and conservative sensitiveness stemming from society, but also to provide a multidimensional framework to comprehend state-religion relations in Turkey.' Mehmet Ertan, New Perspectives on Turkey, 'Religious Politics in Turkey is a meticulously argued and empirically rich case study … Its general analytical framework makes the book highly relevant to students of nationalism, democratization, and social movements as well as students of religion and politics.' Yesim Bayar, Political Studies Review

Ceren Lord is British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in Middle East Studies at the Oxford School for Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford. She is also Associate Editor of the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.