ABSTRACT
The studies of Turkish politics and society have developed around the center vs. periphery debate, or state vs. society, and Kemalism vs. Islamism. The dominant paradigm in the period from the 1970s through the 1990s utilized the center vs. periphery approach to explain ideological conflicts in the country. The marginalization of the conservative masses fostered a narrative of victimhood, stoking the concerns of a vengeful generation in Turkey. Many participants in the 2019 workshop commented on an unexpected affinity between Islamist populism and neoliberalism in the case of Turkey. They posited that Erdogan’s formulation of Islam enabled an essential ideology for neoliberalism to work and expand at the expense of the rule of law. Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP) governments collaborated with various segments of society in this project of transformation. The AKP governing administrations had effected considerable changes in Turkey’s foreign policy and diaspora relations, at least until 2011.
