DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFORMATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN TURKEY: INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE EU AND HISTORICAL LEGACIES

Abstract

Drawing on 53 in depth interviews with EU and Turkish policymakers/decision makers and civil society representatives, this study examines varying levels of Europeanization of civil society across different policy fields in Turkey. It analyses multifaceted processes of the EU impact on civil society development, focusing on three principled issue areas, women, environment and human rights. Suggesting that complex interactions between the EU and domestic politics exist, it argues that historical legacies-inherited characteristics of the past-have shaped the Europeanization outcomes of civil society. Through a structured comparative analysis, on the one hand, it shows that a stronger degree of Europeanization will be accomplished when the EU meets with facilitating historical legacies. On the other hand, it demonstrates that the Europeanization of civil society is less likely where historical legacies function as a constraining condition for the EU impact and transformation. Based on rich empirical evidence across different sectors of civil society, the study finally discusses the nature, potential and limits of the EU impact on civil society development.