Kurdish Ethno-political Transformation in Turkey

This book scrutinizes the transformation of pro-Kurdish political parties in Turkey from an ethno-national stance to a civic one promoting integration to the wider society, known as "Turkiyelilesme" (Turkeyfication). For an ethno-national movement, it is a renunciation from secessionism which also influences the public debate on the definitions and practices of citizenship in Turkey. This transformation is investigated in the elite discourse via the party manifesto, parliamentary debates and in-depth interviews with its MPs and in its voters' views based on a field research conducted in 2010. The author observes a tension between the ethnic priorities of the voter and the integrationist attitude of the party elites that attempt to shift it from an exclusively ethnic party to a non ethnic one, publicly expressed as 'Turkiye partisi' meaning a party operating for the entire Turkey rather than for the Kurds only. This transformation enables the peaceful and voluntary cohesion of an ethnic group to the wider society as well as raising the awareness for the minority’s political and cultural rights in the majority public opinion that would help the society to fill in democratic deficit.