EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process?
This study investigates the EU’s stance on post-Gezi civic engagement, which is based on alternative alliances and against the anti-democratic extremes of state power. Using a Gramscian perspective, the paper underlines the fact that before the protests, Turkey’s civil society had been politically s...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Abant İzzet Baysal University
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Alternatif Politika |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2697857 |
| _version_ | 1797654049403699200 |
|---|---|
| author | Sinem Bal |
| author_facet | Sinem Bal |
| author_sort | Sinem Bal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates the EU’s stance on post-Gezi civic engagement, which is based on alternative alliances and against the anti-democratic extremes of state power. Using a Gramscian perspective, the paper underlines the fact that before the protests, Turkey’s civil society had been politically socialized by the help of EU financial assistance as a sign of an ideology of consent. That is, the EU has focused on liberal-democratic cooperation with civic organic intellectuals, based on the conviction that civil society is the engine for social and political transformation. However, even though civil society organizations have strengthened their catalysing role and become a new counter-hegemonic political space since the Gezi protests, it is argued that Turkey’s normative distance from the EU and the pragmatic links between the EU and Turkey over refugees have led the EU to reduce its financial relationships with Turkey’s rights-based civil society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:53:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c8b667d3d33f45559941d9e14e212650 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1309-0593 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T16:53:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Abant İzzet Baysal University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Alternatif Politika |
| spelling | doaj.art-c8b667d3d33f45559941d9e14e2126502023-10-20T20:27:54ZengAbant İzzet Baysal UniversityAlternatif Politika1309-05932022-10-0114348651810.53376/ap.2022.172306EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process?Sinem Bal0Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice, NottinghamThis study investigates the EU’s stance on post-Gezi civic engagement, which is based on alternative alliances and against the anti-democratic extremes of state power. Using a Gramscian perspective, the paper underlines the fact that before the protests, Turkey’s civil society had been politically socialized by the help of EU financial assistance as a sign of an ideology of consent. That is, the EU has focused on liberal-democratic cooperation with civic organic intellectuals, based on the conviction that civil society is the engine for social and political transformation. However, even though civil society organizations have strengthened their catalysing role and become a new counter-hegemonic political space since the Gezi protests, it is argued that Turkey’s normative distance from the EU and the pragmatic links between the EU and Turkey over refugees have led the EU to reduce its financial relationships with Turkey’s rights-based civil society.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2697857ab fonlarısivil toplumab-türkiye i̇lişkilerigezi protestolarıgramscieu fundscivil societyeu-turkey relationsgezi protestsgramsci |
| spellingShingle | Sinem Bal EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? Alternatif Politika ab fonları sivil toplum ab-türkiye i̇lişkileri gezi protestoları gramsci eu funds civil society eu-turkey relations gezi protests gramsci |
| title | EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? |
| title_full | EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? |
| title_fullStr | EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? |
| title_full_unstemmed | EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? |
| title_short | EU Financial Assistance to Civil Society in Turkey: Shrinking the Political Space in the Post-Gezi Process? |
| title_sort | eu financial assistance to civil society in turkey shrinking the political space in the post gezi process |
| topic | ab fonları sivil toplum ab-türkiye i̇lişkileri gezi protestoları gramsci eu funds civil society eu-turkey relations gezi protests gramsci |
| url | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2697857 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sinembal eufinancialassistancetocivilsocietyinturkeyshrinkingthepoliticalspaceinthepostgeziprocess |