Universität zu Köln

Kilic, Azer (2013). Identity, Interest, and Politics: The Rise of Kurdish Associational Activism and the Contestation of the State in Turkey. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This dissertation investigates associational behaviour in a context of ethnic conflict and contestation of the state. With a case study of the Kurdish issue in Turkey, it examines the position of interest associations in major Kurdish province Diyarbakır in relation to political struggles between different models of social integration by exploring the relative weight of economic interests and collective identity politics in influencing associational strategies. This examination draws on the theoretical literature on interest associations and their impact on social order and democracy. In particular, the analysis adopts the framework of Streeck and Schmitter to understand the logic of associational action by looking at the environments of membership and influence. The analysis, however, modifies this framework by emphasizing the duality seen within both environments, as well as the transitional context that the contestation of the state and socio-economic changes contribute to. The empirical analysis focuses on a selection of interest associations with either de jure or de facto compulsory membership (Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Bar and Medical Associations; and labor unions in the municipal sector). It provides an in-depth analysis of strategies of each association in relation to its membership and its interlocutors, as well as a broader analysis of organized interests in relation to other ‘partial regimes,’ that is, institutionalized sites for the political representation of social groups such as political parties and social movements that represent diverse ‘interests’ and ‘passions’ reflecting the cleavages in society. The dissertation relies on archival research and four-months of fieldwork, focusing on the last decade for the examination of associational politics.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Kilic, Azer azerkilic@gmail.com UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-53936
Date:	10 May 2013
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Ehemalige Fakultäten, Institute, Seminare > Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences > no entry
Subjects:	Social sciences Political science
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language interest associations, conflict resolution, ethnic identity, state, political activism, Turkey English
Date of oral exam:	15 July 2013
Referee:	Name Academic Title Streeck, Wolfgang Prof. Dr. Bugra, Ayse Prof. Dr.
Funders:	Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/5393