ABSTRACT
Although the radical left suffered intense repression and marginalization in Turkey after the 1980 military coup, leftists continued nonetheless to exert remarkable influence in certain important arenas, especially professional organizations such as the Turkish Medical Association (Türk Tabipleri Birliği) and the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (Türk Mühendis ve Mimar OdalarıBirliği, or TMMOB). Particularly noteworthy has been the influence of the radical left on the powerful Istanbul Bar Association, where prestigious lawyers and leftist activists found common cause in a number of issues. These ranged from bar support for hunger strikers in 2000 to the organization of justice courts in Istanbul. This politicization of the Istanbul Bar Association broadened the discourse of small leftist groups, allowing them to step beyond the constraints of small political parties and into a realm of political opportunities inside the massive professional association.
