ABSTRACT
The last few decades are often perceived as a time of liberalization and democratization in Turkey, even more so since they coincided with the end of the military regime in 1983. This development is largely considered to be an outcome of two different processes. First, many movements for recognition have developed since the 1980s, in Turkey as elsewhere in the world, contributing to the weakening of the constraints on public discourse, and to the empowerment of silenced or oppressed groups. Second, Turkey reiterated its candidacy to European integration in 1987, obtained the status of an official candidate at the Helsinki Summit in 1999, and finally began accession negotiations in 2005.
