Authoritarian Politics in Turkey

Turkey has been experiencing an authoritarian shift during the last couple of years. Despite being elected by the majority of the votes, the ruling party AKP (Justice and Development Party) is causing a democratic reversal in the country in order to cling on to power. Their recent ambitions also include transforming Turkey's political system to a presidential regime where the president has absolute power. In this current picture, the founding father of the AKP, the President Erdogan is more perceptible than ever. Against this background, this book is a timely contribution to the literature that tries to interpret this shift towards illiberal democracy in Turkey. It is a timely effort which includes contributions from senior and junior scholars on a variety of aspects from political economy to foreign policy, from minority perceptions to freedom of speech and assembly. It also sheds light on the resistance nods that are emerging in today's Turkey in the midst of its deeply divided and polarized society. It contributes to both theoretical and empirical literatures on authoritarianism, democracy and politics of contemporary Turkey.