^#smrgSAHAF Civil Society in the Grip of Nationalism: Studies on Political Culture in Contemporary Turkey - 2000

Civil Society in the Grip of Nationalism: Studies on Political Culture in Contemporary Turkey edited by Stefanos Yerasimos, Gunter Seufert and Karin Vorhoff. Istanbul: Orient-Institut der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft and Institut Francais D'Etudes Anatoliennes: distributed by Ergon, Wurzburg. Pp.576, index. ISBN 3-933563-73-9. As in other countries, 'civil society' became a buzz-phrase in debates about Turkish politics during the 1990s. Using the dramatic political changes in eastern Europe as a precedent, it was generally assumed that the development of democratic government depended not just on the establishment of the rules and state institutions of democracy, but the existence of strong social forces and structures, encouraging free debate, effective participation and mediation, which would counterbalance and influence the forces of the state. Non-governmental organizations, encouraging grass-roots initiatives, would increasingly take over from...