Overview

For the last century, the Western world has regarded Turkey as a pivotal case of the 'clash of civilisations' between Islam and the West. Why Turkey is Authoritarian offers a radical challenge to this conventional narrative. Halil Karaveli highlights the danger in viewing events in Turkey as a war between a 'westernising' state and the popular masses defending their culture and religion, arguing instead for a class analysis that is largely ignored in the Turkish context. This book goes beyond cultural categories that overshadow more complex realities when thinking about the 'Muslim world', while highlighting the ways in which these cultural prejudices have informed ideological positions. Karaveli argues that Turkey's culture and identity have disabled the Left, which has largely been unable to transcend these divisions. This book asks the crucial question: why does democracy continue to elude Turkey? Ultimately, Karaveli argues that Turkish history is instructive for a left that faces the global challenge of a rising populist right, which succeeds in mobilising culture and identity to its own purposes. Published in partnership with the Left Book Club.

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9780745337562

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Reviews

'Halil Karaveli's analysis of Turkey's historical trajectory wrests us out of the stale narratives of Islam vs. secularism, and instead spotlights the much overlooked but crucial trajectory of the Turkish left, as well as and especially the tragedies of the 1970s. He offers us a new way of understanding one of the most important questions in Turkey today: why despite so much democratic promise, its fundamental political structure returns to authoritarianism again and again' -- Suzy Hansen, author of Notes on a Foreign Country (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017)

'Not only offer insights into Turkey [but] has also something important to say about our world today, arguing that Turkey's political history is a warning example of what can happen when what is seen as a contemptuous elite pushes potential left-wing voters to the far right' -- Svenska Dagbladet 'Contains a wealth of information that will be of considerable benefit to readers. Karaveli's writing is sophisticated yet readable, and the breadth of his knowledge of modern Turkish history is impressive' -- Against the Current 'Deconstructs the many myths about Turkish politics, disentangling the intricate relations between Islam, secularism, socialism and nationalism. Karaveli's well-written book makes the enigmas of Turkey intelligible. It is bold and convincing' -- Dagens Nyheter 'Informative and authoritative Karaveli's analysis of Turkish politics should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand Turkey's relentless retreat from democracy' -- Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History, The University of Michigan, and author of 'They Can Live in the Desert But Nowhere Else': A History of the Armenian Genocide (Princeton, 2015) 'Wrests us out of the stale narratives of Islam vs. secularism, offering a new way of understanding one of the most important questions in Turkey today: why despite so much democratic promise, its fundamental political structure returns to authoritarianism again and again' -- Suzy Hansen, author of Notes on a Foreign Country (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017)

Author Information

Halil Karaveli is a Senior Fellow at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center, a US-Swedish think tank, and the editor of the Turkey Analyst. His articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Foreign Affairs and the National Interest. He is the author of Why Turkey is Authoritarian (Pluto, 2018).

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