In memory of Donald Quataert (1941-2011)

Cengiz Kırlı

Economic Crises and the Social Structuring of Economic Hardship: The Impact of the 2001 Turkish Crisis

Bruce H. Rankin

Drawing on a growing cross-national literature on the social impact of economic crises, this paper investigates the social structuring of economic hardship among urban households in Turkey following the 2001 economic crisis. My goal is to compare the Turkish crisis to other recent crises, particularly in Latin America and Asia, and to assess competing claims about the vulnerability of different social groups. Using data from the study entitled Turkish Family Life under Siege—a nationally representative sample of urban households of work-aged married couples—the results paint a picture of widespread social devastation as measured by key labor market outcomes: job loss, unemployment duration, earnings instability, and under-employment. The findings suggest that existing patterns of social inequality related to class and status—education, age, ethnicity, and occupation—were reinforced and exacerbated by the 2001 macro-economic crisis. In contrast to claims that the impact was skewed towards higher socio-economic groups, the brunt of the 2001 crisis was felt by disadvantaged social groups with few assets to buffer economic hardship. Economic hardship was higher among labor force participants who are younger, less educated, male, Kurdish-speakers, private-sector employees, and residents of non-central regions. I discuss the implications with respect to the previous research on economic crises, the role of Turkish contextual factors, and the need for social policy reform, particularly in the context of the current global economic crisis.

Reframing the Ideal Citizen in Turkey: National Belonging and Economic Success in the Era of Neo-Liberalism

Özlem Altan-Olcay

This paper explores how discourses of nationalism and neo-liberal conceptualizations of economic performance interact in Turkey, by analyzing cultural productions about business elites and workers in the media. I take up both business elites’ attempts at self-representation and how mainstream media portrays them to argue that these actors attempt to draw the contours of national belonging with respect to economic success. Even though the representations are diverse in definitions of national identity, they all formulate service to the nation in terms of business success and market performance. In addition, struggles with syndicated labor also produce relevant discourses of economic necessity and rationality only to be challenged by other ideas of political belonging, drawing their force from social rights. These reveal the contingency of formulations that construct desirable citizenship on the basis of one’s ability to contribute to economic growth. Through these examples, I suggest that discourses about market economies do not necessarily divest themselves of nation-state frameworks. Instead, they interact with cultural tools in local contexts, producing new social and political constellations that attempt to explain shifting social stratifications. I argue that these struggles over representation are part of a terrain of banal nationalism, transforming connotations of economic rationality, national belonging, and citizenship.

Representation of the Eastern and Southeastern Provinces in the Turkish Parliament during the National Struggle and Single-Party Era (1920-1946)

Ahmet Demirel

This article examines the socio-economic background of the parliamentary deputies serving during the years of the national struggle (1920-1922) and the single-party era (1923-1946) and provides new statistical data collated from recently published, detailed biographical information. I will provide a critical analysis of the socio-economic background of the deputies elected to represent the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey and offer localism—defined as being born in the and from the constituency one represents—as a key concept to allow a better understanding of the nature of the electoral process at that time. Although localism—which can be regarded as one of the important indicators of authentic representation—was extensive during the years of the national struggle, it was replaced by bureaucratic representation during the single-party era, especially starting with the 1927 elections held right after the Sheikh Sait Rebellion. The article relates the Kurdish rebellions to the problem of representation in parliament and shows that in the rebellions’ aftermath the number of the local representatives rapidly decreased. It further documents that, with the introduction of multi-party politics and democratic, free, competitive elections after the World War II, a return to localism can be observed for the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey.

Fruitless Attempts? The Kurdish Initiative and Containment of the Kurdish Movement in Turkey

Marlies Casier, Joost Jongerden, and Nic Walker

Following the victory of the Kurdish party DTP (Demokratik Toplum Partisi, Democratic Society Party) in Turkey’s southeastern provinces in the local elections of March 2009, Turkey witnessed the AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party) government’s Kurdish initiative, the closure of the victorious Kurdish party, and waves of arrests of Kurdish activists and politicians. This rush of action constituted a renewed effort to contain and roll back the political and societal influence of the Kurdish movement. But what is it exactly that the government and the state were attempting to contain, and why? This article considers the recent moves of the ruling AKP, the judiciary, and the Turkish Armed Forces in regard to the “Kurdish problem” in Turkey’s southeast, interpreting them as different responses to the regional success of the Kurdish movement.

Astray and Stranded at the Gates of The European Union: African Transit Migrants in İstanbul

Deniz Yükseker and Kelly Todd Brewer

This paper discusses the consequences of EU migration control policies on irregular and transit migration in Turkey by focusing on African migrants. Our argument is that the EU’s concern with transit migration through the Mediterranean and hence its externalization and securitization of migration control have contributed to Turkey’s becoming a waiting room for irregular and transit migrants. Based on the findings of a survey with African migrants in İstanbul and analysis of secondary sources, we show that many African migrants get stranded in Turkey. In the absence of an institutional setup for migration management and the prevalence of a security approach, migrants are faced with humanitarian problems and human rights violations.

Nicknames and Sobriquets in Ottoman Vernacular Expression

Güçlü Tülüveli

Nicknaming is a social practice that presents an area for comparative historical research. From a communal perspective, nicknames can be evaluated as markers of status in social hierarchy. On a personal level, they play a crucial role in defining personal identities. This article evaluates some examples from Ottoman archival documents from these perspectives. It focuses not only on the impact of dynamic elements on local community, as in cases of migration and conversion, but also on the question of how social prestige in a local setting could be perceived through the prism of nicknames.

LECTURE: Changes of Time: An Aspect of Ottoman Modernization

François Georgeon

BOOK REVIEW: Tamer Çetin and Feridun Yılmaz, eds. Understanding the Process of Economic Change in Turkey: An Institutional Approach. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2010.

Fikret Şenses

BOOK REVIEW: Karen Barkey. Empire of Difference: The Ottomans in Comparative Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Can Nacar

BOOK REVIEW: Ilham Khuri-Makdisi. The Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Radicalism, 1860-1914. Berkeley, LA: University of California Press, 2010.

Akın Sefer

BOOK REVIEW: Elyse Semerdjian. “Off the Straight Path:” Illicit Sex, Law, and Community in Ottoman Aleppo. New York: Syracuse University Press, 2008.

Ramazan Hakkı Öztan

BOOK REVIEW: Amy Mills. Streets of Memory: Landscape, Tolerance, and National Identity in Istanbul. London: The University of Georgia Press, 2010.

Derya Özkan

BOOK REVIEW: Peter O’Brien. European Perceptions of Islam and America from Saladin to George W. Bush: Europe’s Fragile Ego Uncovered. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.

Nermin Abadan-Unat