Charlotte Joppien – författare

There is a large and growing literature on Turkish politics in general, and the AKP in particular. However, local government and party organization, although very important topics, are strikingly understudied.

This book compares local politics in two Central Anatolian cities, Konya and Eskişehir, ruled by different governmental parties, the AKP in Konya and the CHP in Eskişehir. It analyzes how national political parties adapt to local contexts (‘culture of everyday politics’) and how they seek to influence local culture (‘politics of everyday culture’). By examining how municipal politics is practiced on a daily basis, it illuminates more fundamental aspects of Turkish politics such as political mobilization, establishing links between voters and politicians, various practices of decision-making and the role of civil society. All of this has been critical for the AKP’s continuous electoral success since 2002. The findings are based on over 1.5 years of fieldwork in the two cities, as well as over 50 interviews with national and local political actors. The main fields of research are mayoral biographies, municipal practices, particularly with regard to welfare and service provision, the cooperation with other municipal actors as political parties or civil society organizations; urban planning activities and cultural policy. The study helps to comprehend more fundamental aspects of Turkish politics such as political mobilization, the establishing of links between voters, municipalities and parties as well as decision-making processes.

Municipal Politics in Turkey fills a gap in existing literature by illuminating the fundamental aspects of Turkish politics, such as political mobilization, the establishing of links between voters, municipalities and parties as well as decision-making processes. It will be a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in Turkish Politics and political parties, municipal/local politics and comparative politics.

There is a large and growing literature on Turkish politics in general, and the AKP in particular. However, local government and party organization, although very important topics, are strikingly understudied.

This book compares local politics in two Central Anatolian cities, Konya and Eskişehir, ruled by different governmental parties, the AKP in Konya and the CHP in Eskişehir. It analyzes how national political parties adapt to local contexts (‘culture of everyday politics’) and how they seek to influence local culture (‘politics of everyday culture’). By examining how municipal politics is practiced on a daily basis, it illuminates more fundamental aspects of Turkish politics such as political mobilization, establishing links between voters and politicians, various practices of decision-making and the role of civil society. All of this has been critical for the AKP’s continuous electoral success since 2002. The findings are based on over 1.5 years of fieldwork in the two cities, as well as over 50 interviews with national and local political actors. The main fields of research are mayoral biographies, municipal practices, particularly with regard to welfare and service provision, the cooperation with other municipal actors as political parties or civil society organizations; urban planning activities and cultural policy. The study helps to comprehend more fundamental aspects of Turkish politics such as political mobilization, the establishing of links between voters, municipalities and parties as well as decision-making processes.

Municipal Politics in Turkey fills a gap in existing literature by illuminating the fundamental aspects of Turkish politics, such as political mobilization, the establishing of links between voters, municipalities and parties as well as decision-making processes. It will be a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in Turkish Politics and political parties, municipal/local politics and comparative politics.

Die Autorinnen und Autoren des vorliegenden Sammelbandes untersuchen Umbrüche, Krisen und Widerstände in der Geschichte sowie der Gegenwart der Türkei. Im Zentrum steht die Frage, wie gesellschaftlicher und politischer Wandel in Kunst und Literatur verhandelt wird, welchen Einfluss er auf transnationale Migrationsbewegungen hat, wie er den urbanen Raum verändert und welche Rolle akademische Freiheit dabei spielt. Alleine drei Militärputsche formten die Geschichte des Landes in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die anschließend einsetzende neoliberale Agenda der 1980er Jahre hatte nicht nur wirtschaftliche, sondern weitreichende soziale und kulturelle Folgen. Der Band verfolgt einen interdisziplinären und epochenübergreifenden Ansatz, der einerseits Wechselwirkungen zwischen Kultur und Politik untersucht und andererseits gesellschaftliche Strukturen in ihrer historischen Veränderlichkeit beleuchtet.