ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, similar to many other countries around the world, Turkey has experienced a major restructuring of its economy along the lines of neoliberal economic principles. Initially being introduced by the military government after the military coup of 1980, the neoliberal project has not faced any significant, mass-scale political contestation even after the return to electoral democracy in 1983. This chapter suggests that among other factors, a shift in the grammar of Turkish politics towards culturalism has contributed to the hegemony of neoliberalism.
