Turkey

The goal of this paper is to explore the place of honor in an increasingly rationalized world, in which individuals are characterized by their interchangeability. To do so, the honor principle in two societies which, although in geographical proximity, represent distinct traditions, France and Turkey, was analyzed. The goal was to grasp the multiple understandings of honor among young adults, defined as those between the age of 20 and 27 years old in these two societies. In the Turkish language, honor translates to şeref, which means the personal value felt by an individual coming from the other’s respect, or the good reputation won by virtue. Honor and şeref are necessary as personal principles according to social representations, helping people navigate society through the social recognition of others. They require self-control of both body and impulses. For interviewees in both countries, this meant a principle of containment and restraint, forming a civic honor associated with being “civilized.” However, respondents in both countries tended to refer to another type of honor, which they qualified as “barbarous” and impulsive. All these dualities in the understanding of honor, apparent in French and Turkish views, seem to give rise to an “Us” and a “Them,” established according to divergences in conceptions of honor.

The paper accessed the impact of financial liberalisation on the Turkish economy to evaluate if it was beneficial or not. McKinnon-Shaw analysis formed the theoretical base for the study. The findings indicated that the 3 giant problems of persistent inflation, volatility of interest rate and capital movements, government deficits and huge debts coupled with political instability were the limiting conditions to the success of financial liberalisation. Thorough macroeconomic stability policies in line with policy consistency and political ‘liberalisation’ were thus recommended.

As developments in Turkey continue to take shape in the aftermath of Gezi and Erdoğan’s Presidential election, Gülden Ozcan interviews Simten Coşar (co-editor with Gamze Yücesan-Özdemir of Silent Violence: Neoliberalism, Islamic Politics and the AKP Years in Turkey. Red Quill Books, 2012) about these turbulent times. Interest in the AKP and its integration of neoliberal and Islamic politics into continued electoral success has garnered increasing scrutiny both domestically and internationally.

The argument of this paper is that the new foreign policy orientation of Turkey under the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government is a constitutive component of a new nationalist project, constructed and carried out by the AKP over the last decade. The article expounds the ways in which the AKP has reformulated the notions of nation, national history, homeland and national interest and demonstrates the role foreign policy has played in this reformulation. Our point of departure will be the patterns we have observed in the statements and political practices of the AKP government and its officials, particularly the incumbent minister of foreign affairs Ahmet Davutoğlu, whose book, Strategic Depth, presents a more systematic explanation of the major principles and assertions of AKP nationalism and foreign policy. We will also argue that after the Gezi protests in June 2013 this new conception of nation and nationalism has faced with a deep crisis, which has also exacerbated the problem of pursuing an ambitious foreign policy strategy in international arena.

Erkan Saka, Vehbi Görgülü ve Anıl Sayan'ın editörlüğünü yaptığı bu kitapta sunduğumuz çalışmalara gelince, Gözde Ferimaz Şahan hayatımıza hızla giren SoLoMo (Social Local Mobile) hizmetlere teorik bir perspektif sunuyor, bunu yaparken de bir vaka çalışamasının ampirik sonuçlarını bizimle paylaşıyor. Zeynep Kunt arkadaşımız ise İstanbul merkezli olmakla beraber dijital platformlar üzerinden örgütlenen bir spiritüel hayat topluluğuna etnografik bir bakış sunuyor. İdil Başural'ın nefret söylemlerinin dijital ortamlarda yeniden üretilmesiyle ilgili analizi son zamanlarda gördüğüm en iyi modellerden biri oluyor. Bu konuda birçok çalışma yapılmasına rağmen bir analiz modeli sunanlar azınlıkta kalmaktadır. Bu yüzden bakmaya alanda bakmaya değer bir çalışma olduğuna inanıyorum. Ege Tunca ise Türkiye'de hala birçok çalışma gerektiren oyun tabanlı topluluklara içerden bir bakış sunuyor. Tuğçe Sarıkuzu'unun aynı konuyla ilgili literatür taraması da gözden kaçmamalı. Laura Avadar'ın Twitter ve Gazetecilik mesleğiyle ilgili çalışması da iyi çalışılmış, bize model olanakları sunan bir çalışma. Üzerine çokça konuşulsa da bu alanda model çalışmalara ihiyacımız sürüyor. Şenay Çınar'ın bloglar üzerine çalışması da edebiyat teorisiyle blogların birleştiği ve incelendiği kaynak olabilecek bir makale olarak karşımıza çıkıyor. Son olarak da görece az işlenmiş bir alan olan yaratıcı endüstriler ve sosyal medya ilişkisi üzerine yoğunlaşan Emre Erbirer ve Yrd. Doç. Dr. Gökçe Dervişoğlu Okandan'dan bir çalışmamız var.