The Alevis and Roma/Gypsy in Turkey: republican freedom revisited

Abstract

This study examines the prospects and limitations of the republican theory of freedom as an analytical tool for analysing Turkey’s state of rights and liberties. Following an outline of the main philosophical arguments of republican freedom, which emphasises the link between freedom and non-domination, the paper focuses on the cases of Alevis and Roma-Gypsy populations in Turkey, as two different minority groups that face a unique set of identity problems. The debate on the nature of the discriminatory treatment of certain ethnoreligious groups in Turkey tries, on the one hand, to demonstrate the republican conception’s promise to uncover difficulties relating to the status of freedoms. On the other hand, it seeks to highlight potential constraints, especially when it realises socio-economic rights.

Keywords:

• Republican freedom as non-domination
• Justice and Development Party
• Alevis
• Roma/Gypsy community

Disclosure statement

The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

We did not generate or analyse any datasets because our work proceeds with a theoretical approach.

Notes

1 For a source providing demographic ideas on the Alevi population, which is not officially recorded in Turkey, see Erdemir (2005).

2 On the details of the differentiation points of the Alevi practices form the Sunni majority, see Melikoff (1998).

3 In this respect, Bellamy (2007, 159) prefers to use legitimate and illegitimate interference due to his emphasis on political legitimacy for interference.

4 For a general debate, see Boyraz (2017). Likewise, Ekmekçioğlu (2014, 660) highlights that ‘the Early Republic pursued a consistent and systematic program towards non-Muslim minorities that utilized the strategies of discrimination and forced assimilation simultaneously’.

5 See Milliyet, 2 September 2003, @ https://www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/erdogan-alevilik-bir-din-degildir-5156383.

6 For a study on how the AKP base perceived the Alevi opening process, see Bozan (2021).

7 Law on Population Services (2006), https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.5490.pdf.

8 Sinan Işık v Türkiye, No. 21924/05, 2 Şubat 2010, https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/tur#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-97087%22]}.

9 For a detailed analysis, see Borovalı and Boyraz (2016).

10 For the author’s choice on the term Roma/Gypsy for non-discriminatory reasons, see Avara and Mascitelli (2014).

11 See Istanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (2020).

12 For a critique of the limits of republican freedom as non-domination, see Schuppert (2015).

13 See the Anatolian Agency news detailing the new opening lasting for 13 years, at https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/politika/ak-parti-iktidari-13-yillik-alevi-acilimi-surecinde-yeni-bir-sayfa-aciyor/2704302.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Burak Tamaç

Burak Tamaç completed the Political Science PhD programme at İstanbul Bilgi University with a thesis titled ‘Republican Freedom: Its Theoretical and Practical Limits’. He is currently working as an independent researcher.

Ogan Yumlu

Ogan Yumlu is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Izmir University of Economics. His research interests cover both normative democratic theory and Turkish political history, dealing with questions such as the journey of constitutionalism in Turkey.

Cemil Boyraz

Cemil Boyraz is Professor of Political Science at İstanbul Bilgi University. His research interests cover the political and economic history of Turkey, theories of nationalism, and critical political economy.