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Turkey has leapt to international prominence as an economic and political powerhouse under its elected Muslim government, and is looked on by many as a model for other Muslim countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. This book reveals how Turkish national identity and the meanings of Islam and secularism have undergone radical changes in today's Turkey, and asks whether the Turkish model should be viewed as a success story or cautionary tale. This provocative book traces how Muslim nationalists blur the line between the secular and the Islamic, supporting globalization and political liberalism, yet remaining mired in authoritarianism, intolerance, and cultural norms hostile to minorities and women. In a new afterword, White analyzes the latest political developments, particularly the mass protests surrounding Gezi Park, their impact on Turkish political culture, and what they mean for the future.
List of contents
Illustrations xi Abbreviations xiii Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Islam and the Nation 24 Chapter 3 The Republic of Fear 54 Chapter 4 The Missionary and the Headscarf 80 Chapter 5 No Mixing 102 Chapter 6 Sex and the Nation: Veiled Identity 136 Chapter 7 Choice and Community: The Girl with Blue Hair 163 Chapter 8 Conclusion 181 Afterword to the new paperback edition 197 Notes 215 References 237 Index 249
About the author
Jenny White
With a new afterword by the author
Summary
Turkey has leapt to international prominence as an economic and political powerhouse under its elected Muslim government, and is looked on by many as a model for other Muslim countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. In this book, Jenny White reveals how Turkish national identity and the meanings of Islam and secularism have undergone radical changes in today's Turkey, and asks whether the Turkish model should be viewed as a success story or a cautionary tale. This provocative book traces how Muslim nationalists blur the line between the secular and the Islamic, supporting globalization and political liberalism, yet remaining mired in authoritarianism, intolerance, and cultural norms hostile to minorities and women.
In a new afterword, White analyzes the latest political developments, particularly the mass protests surrounding Gezi Park, their impact on Turkish political culture, and what they mean for the future.
Additional text
"It is so well written that researchers and college teachers should be able to use the 264-page publication to help their research assistants and students in a variety of ways."---Md.Mizanur Rahman, African and Asian Studies
Report
"Even for those already familiar with contemporary Turkey, this sometimes disturbing book will be an eye opener"--.John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs
