Populist Secularism

Authors

Seval Yildirim, University at Buffalo School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2024

Rights

Abstract

This article argues that in the context of a developing democracy, the rise of religiously oriented parties should be viewed contextually as part of an ongoing process of democratic negotiation and consolidation. Using Turkey as a case study, this article argues that religion and secularism are best viewed as parts of a symbiotic relationship, informing each other’s identity, and defining characteristics through an ongoing process of negotiation.

The article discusses commonly used concepts relevant to secularism in general and argues for the need to distinguish between the secular, secularism, and secularization as a governance project. Through a historical survey of military interventions in the political process and judicial construction of secularism, the article discusses the development of state-religion relationship from the Ottoman Empire to modern day Turkey. The surveyed events of the republican era highlight the brutal and militant nature of the secularization project, followed by the populist response in the form of over two decades of electoral victories by the Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (Justice and Development Party) (“AKP”) whose governance project has led to a radical reformulation of Turkish secularism.

The article also argues that even though pious populations were marginalized during the decades of militant secularization, the current shifts to a populist secularism have created new marginalized and excluded identities, including religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ populations, as well as increasing threats to gender equality and equity.

Publication Title

Minnesota Journal of International Law

First Page

39

Last Page

112

Recommended Citation

Seval Yildirim, Populist Secularism, 33 Minn. J. Int'l L. 39 (2024).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/journal_articles/1248