Online Published on 16 August, 2023.
This paper attempts to trace the multiple trajectories of neoliberal politics in Türkiye (Turkey). Focusing on the crisis of secularism, it examines the dialectical relationship between the state, neoliberalism, Islamism and authoritarianism. The integration of liberal market economy norms into an Islamic framework for state reconstruction in Türkiye shows that Islam had long been a part of the political restructuring of the world economy. The paper argues that in order to create a partnership across social classes, the AKP (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi or Justice and Development Party) has reframed an Islamic moral position to meet its Third Way party image. However, the AKP’s pursuit of authoritarian neoliberalism bears certain resemblance to other developing market economies.It is argued that the AKP’s political project embodies spatially and temporally distinct characteristics, fusing long-standing authoritarian institutional structures and practices with neoliberal ideology, potent political alliances, Islamic values and repressive practices that are facing mounting resistance.
