THE DEBATES ON RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE: THE CASE OF TURKEY (original) (raw)

Turkish Studies THE DEBATES ON RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE: THE CASE OF TURKEY

The relationship between the public sphere and religion is a very important issue, particularly from sociological, political, ideological, ethical and judicial viewpoints and in terms of international relations at the local and global levels. The public and political significance of religion has an important place in debates concerning the social aspects and functions of religion. The history of debates related to the situation of religion in the public sphere is politically and academically very long. Religion in the public sphere has always been the subject of lively debate in the context of politics, ideology, sosciology, political science, etc. in Turkey, too. One of the most important reasons for this debate is the fear that religion may gain power in the secular state (" the public sphere "). Under the influence of this fear, the concept of the public sphere in Turkey is discussed in a political, ideological, and emotional framework based on laicism and is used with the same meaning as the sphere of the state or the official sphere. Debates on religion in the public sphere are held in the framework of this perception and of official practices with respect to this perception. This study examines some sociological, ideological and political dimensions of the debates related to religion in the public sphere in Turkey from a sociological perspective.

Management of Religion in Turkey

This article discusses legal regulations and political issues regarding religion in Turkey, and focuses on the role, historical foundations and legal structure of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı – hereinafter ‘Diyanet’), an administrative unit founded in 1924 “to organize the religious affairs” in a secular state apparatus. In order to contextualise the issue, concepts of ‘laicité’, ‘secular’, ‘secularizations’, ‘secularisms’, and ‘post-secular’ are explored. Thus the triangle between state, society and religion, with a special focus on a decade of successive AK Party (Development and Justice Party) governments, is scrutinised in the light of the right to freedom of religion and/or belief in Turkey.

The Management of Religion in Turkey

We consider the current government’s recent policies targeting issues like abortion, artificial insemination, C-section, and population growth as examples of a social engineering project aiming to transform the social body of Turkey into one with ‘conservative’ values nourished by religious sentiments. This project of social engineering towards an imagined social body where the ‘good’ has already been designed and pre-determined is very similar to the practices of the early Republican elite of Turkey in the 1920s and 30s to achieve their own ‘good’ for the people. Thus, both with the internal dynamics and changing paradigms in the world, we think that religion should be considered, at the legal level, within the framework of the two higher constitutional principles in the Turkey of the 2000s, which without any doubt has a very different setting from that of 1924. One of these principles is freedom of religion and belief (including conscience) and the other is laicism. While the freedom to adopt and manifest a religion is fundamental, freedom from religion must also be afforded the same level of respect and protection. We believe that society must strive to achieve this balance for the sake of liberty and equality however challenging that continues to be.

Religion Polity and Society in Turkey/ARSEV BEKTAŞ

Thqc has be€ri much tdk in recent yeas both in the Turkish press and in popular Funals, about the apparent visibility of Islam in social ana potticaf lfe. Ii otfrer way, one feanne of Ihe Turkish sociay and polity of the l9gft that strikes any keeri ob_ s€rver is Ihe 'levival" of Islam. One of tlre most impofirnt cuxlent socio_poUtt f i"ro_ es in Turkey is secularism. The Islamic movemenihr" b"-m" ru"h " rirsible pheno_ mena that in recent mo[ths valious agencies of tlre state have sttded to colleci infor_ malion and u/rite up official repore on the hcreasing threat of the clandestine activities of various groups seeking to rc-institute the ,'Sheriat".

Re-Thinking Secularism: Religion in Public Life in Turkey

Turkish Journal of Politics, 2012

What does it mean to be a secular state? Is there a universal understanding of the place religion should occupy in a democratic state? This paper considers the conceptions of secularism and the particular brand of secularism that Turkey has embraced throughout its history. It is argued that a variety of factors make it untenable for the state to continue in a path of strict secularism through the control of religion and the principle of secularism should be reconceptualized in a way that ensures the freedom of religion from the state and the state from religion. A theoretical model is proposed that is better suited to the current realities of the Turkish experience and identifies some of the unique issues of concern. As Turkey continues to develop a robust and stable democracy and desires to remain a leader in the implementation of democracy in the Muslim majority world it must continue to make progress in the place of religion and public life.

Kamusal Alanda Din Tartışmaları: Türkiye Örneği

Journal of Turkish Studies, 2015

The relationship between the public sphere and religion is a very important issue, particularly from sociological, political, ideological, ethical and judicial viewpoints and in terms of international relations at the local and global levels. The public and political significance of religion has an important place in debates concerning the social aspects and functions of religion. The history of debates related to the situation of religion in the public sphere is politically and academically very long. Religion in the public sphere has always been the subject of lively debate in the context of politics, ideology, sosciology, political science, etc. in Turkey, too. One of the most important reasons for this debate is the fear that religion may gain power in the secular state ("the public sphere"). Under the influence of this fear, the concept of the public sphere in Turkey is discussed in a political, ideological, and emotional framework based on laicism and is used with the same meaning as the sphere of the state or the official sphere. Debates on religion in the public sphere are held in the framework of this perception and of official practices with respect to this perception. This study examines some sociological, ideological and political dimensions of the debates related to religion in the public sphere in Turkey from a sociological perspective.

Religion and Politics in Contemporary Turkey

Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East, 2021

Religion and secularism have been central threads in Turkish politics throughout the history of the republic. This chapter focuses on three important aspects of the relationship between religion and politics in contemporary Turkey. First, it explores the political functions of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), a government agency that has served as the primary means for the implementation of the religious policies of the Turkish state. Second, it investigates the relations between Islamic communities, political parties, and the state and argues that the distinction between official and unofficial Islam that has informed much of the work on the Turkish religious field must be strongly qualified. Finally, the author focuses on the trajectory of political Islam in Turkey, critically re viewing the literature on the rise, political incorporation, and authoritarian turn of Islamic parties. The conclusion emphasizes the need for studies investigating the impact of politics on religiosity in Turkish society.