[Bilimsel Haber] New Book: Trials of Europeanization: Turkish Political Culture and the European Union (Ioannis N. Grigoriadis)

[Onur Inal]

Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Trials of Europeanization: Turkish Political Culture
and the European Union (Palgrave Macmillan, London & New York, 2008). $79.95
(hardcover), ISBN: 978-0-230-61215-0.

Book Description
This book examines the impact of improving EU-Turkey relations on Turkish
political culture since Turkey became a candidate for EU embership in 1999.
While a multi-party political system was introduced in Turkey in 1946,
political liberalism was the missing part of Turkey's democratic
consolidation. Turkish political culture valued submissiveness toward state
authority and did not favor citizen participation. This study evaluates the
impact that Turkey's EU-motivated political reform had on civil society,
state-society relations, the role of religion in politics and national
identity. This leads to an assessment of whether Turkish political culture
has become more participant and democratic.

Book Reviews
"How has Turkey become the sui generis secular state we know today? In the
debate on whether Islam is soluble in the liberal democratic tradition of
the West there is often too much rhetoric and too little substance. This
timely and important book remedies this state of affairs and more through a
thorough investigation of Turkey's political culture focusing on its state
tradition and transformation and their gradual adaptation to EU norms. It is
a must read for anyone interested in EU-Turkey affairs, be they advocates or
critics of Turkish accession." – 
Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Director, European Studies Centre, St Antony's College,
University of Oxford & University Lecturer in International Relations

"The author gives an admirable comprehensive and highly illuminative insight
into the historical development of Turkish political culture with a focus on
the impacts of EU-Turkey relations. This book is key to understand today's
Turkish political and societal structures."--
Cem Özdemir, Head of Germany's Green Party/Member of European Parliament
(The Greens/EFA)

Author's Biography
Ioannis N. Grigoriadis is a Lecturer at the Department of Turkish and Modern
Asian Studies, University of Athens, and a Research Fellow at the Hellenic
Foundation of European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

__________________________________________________________

Dr. Ioannis N. Grigoriadis
Lecturer
Department of Turkish & Modern Asian Studies
University of Athens
Kaplanon 6, GR-10680, Athens
Greece
Email: igrigor at turkmas.uoa.gr
URL: http://opedpieces.blogspot.com