Identity, Interest, and Politics: The Rise of Kurdish Associational Activism and the Contestation of the State in Turkey

This dissertation investigates associational behaviour in a context of ethnic conflict and contestation of the state. With a case study of the Kurdish issue in Turkey, it examines the position of interest associations in major Kurdish province Diyarbakır in relation to political struggles between different models of social integration by exploring the relative weight of economic interests and collective identity politics in influencing associational strategies. This examination draws on the theoretical literature on interest associations and their impact on social order and democracy. In particular, the analysis adopts the framework of Streeck and Schmitter to understand the logic of associational action by looking at the environments of membership and influence. The analysis, however, modifies this framework by emphasizing the duality seen within both environments, as well as the transitional context that the contestation of the state and socio-economic changes contribute to. The empirical analysis focuses on a selection of interest associations with either de jure or de facto compulsory membership (Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Bar and Medical Associations; and labor unions in the municipal sector). It provides an in-depth analysis of strategies of each association in relation to its membership and its interlocutors, as well as a broader analysis of organized interests in relation to other ‘partial regimes,’ that is, institutionalized sites for the political representation of social groups such as political parties and social movements that represent diverse ‘interests’ and ‘passions’ reflecting the cleavages in society. The dissertation relies on archival research and four-months of fieldwork, focusing on the last decade for the examination of associational politics.Contents Tables and Figures Acknowledgments Dedication Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Studying Associational Politics 1.2 Methodology 1.3 Organization of the Dissertation PART I: COEVOLUTION OF THREE PARTIAL REGIMES: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, POLITICAL PARTIES, AND ORGANIZED INTERESTS Chapter 2: The Kurdish Movement 2.1 Emergence of the PKK and the Intermittent Armed Conflict 2.2 Enter Pro-Kurdish Political Parties 2.3 The Situation of Dual Power Chapter 3: The AKP Goverment 3.1 Roots in Political Islam 3.2 Three Terms in Power: Opportunities, Reforms, and Challenges 3.3 Approach to the Kurdish Issue Chapter 4: Organized Interests 4.1 Historical Origins and Contemporary Legal Setting 4.2 Diverse Paths to Politicization 4.3 Associational Politics in the AKP Period PART II: DIYARBAKIR’S ASSOCIATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE LOCAL AND THE NATIONAL Chapter 5: Business Associations 5.1 Associational Leadership and Properties 5.2 Dynamics in the Membership Environment 5.3 Contemporary Political Activism Chapter 6: Professional Associations 6.1 Associational Leadership and Properties iv 6.2 Dynamics in the Membership Environment 6.3 Contemporary Political Activism Chapter 7: Labor Unions 7.1 Unionism in the Municipality Sector 7.2 Dynamics in the Membership Environment 7.3 Contemporary Political Activism Chapter 8: Conclusion 8.1 Contestation of the State and the Rise of Kurdish Associations 8.2 Associational Role in Formation of Social Divisions and Coalitions Bibliograph