Paths of De-democratization in Turkey

Paths of De-democratization in Turkey

Edited by Paul Kubicek

PETER LANG New York - Berlin - Bruxelles - Chennai - Lausanne - Oxford

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kubicek, Paul, editor.

Title: Paths of de-democratization in Turkey / edited by Paul Kubicek.

Description: New York : Peter Lang, 2025. | Series: Culture, society and political economy in Turkey, 2832–1367 ; Vol. 3 | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2024058416 (print) | LCCN 2024058417 (ebook) | ISBN 9783034348683 (hardback) | ISBN 9783034351249 (ebook) | ISBN 9783034351256 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Authoritarianism–Turkey. | Democracy–Turkey. | AK Parti (Turkey) | Erdoğan, Recep Tayyip. | Turkey–Politics and Government–21st century.

Classification: LCC JQ1809 .A15 P38 2025 (print) | LCC JQ1809. A15 (ebook) | DDC 320.956109/05–dc23/eng/20241214

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024058416

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024058417

DOI 10.3726/b22534

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.

The German National Library lists this publication in the German National Bibliography; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Cover design by Peter Lang Group AG

ISSN 2832-1367 (print) ISSN 2832-1359 (online)

ISBN 9783034348683 (hardback)

ISBN 9783034351249 (ebook)

ISBN 9783034351256 (epub)

DOI 10.3726/b22534

© 2025 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne

Published by Peter Lang Publishing Inc., New York, USA

info@peterlang.com - www.peterlang.com

All rights reserved.

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright.

Any utilization outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution.

This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.

This publication has been peer reviewed.

About the editor

Paul Kubicek is Professor of Political Science at Oakland University. He has published extensively on Turkish politics, has taught at Koç University and Boğaziçi University in Turkey, and serves as editor of Turkish Studies.

About the book

This volume offers a variety of perspectives on Turkey’s democratic backsliding since 2010 as the ruling Justice and Development Party and President Recep T. Erdoğan have consolidated their rule. It highlights numerous historical, ideological, and structural forces that have contributed to this process, explores the weaknesses of the opposition and civil society actors, examines how the changing political economy has contributed to growing authoritarianism, and notes how growing authoritarianism has impacted different political and social actors. It also suggests some factors that might help reverse the current processes of de-democratization

“This volume offers a refreshing and unique perspective to explaining Turkey’s authoritarian drift by exploring the connections between institutional continuities from the days of the Ottoman Empire with contemporary cultural, economic, societal and political realities. I highly recommend this volume to all who are interested in acquiring a deeper and broader understanding of Turkey’s de-democratization.”

—Kemal Kirişçi, Senior Scholar, Brookings Institution

“Paths of De-Democratization in Turkey provides a new angle and approach to the process of backsliding of democratization in Turkey since 2013. Readers will find varied attempts to re-assess earlier theorizing on the subject of Turkish de-democratization by reference to historical, cultural, and social structural influences on creating a viable opposition and guardrails against a government that has become increasingly authoritarian.”

—Ersin Kalaycıoğlu, Professor of Political Science, Sabancı University

“This volume is a comprehensive and essential analysis of the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) rise to power and Recep Erdogan’s success in establishing an authoritarian political system in Turkey. Contributors employ different perspectives in describing factors behind the breakdown of Turkey’s weak democracy, domination of state institutions by Erdogan loyalists, social engineering through neo-Ottomanism, and internal and external contradictions that present severe challenges for Turkey.”

—Birol Yesilada, Professor of Political Science, Portland State University

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