The Evolving Political Views of Turkey's Minority Groups

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) became Turkey’s ruling party in 2002, they have engaged more with the country’s minority groups. The Capstone Team analyzed domestic and international developments since these elections and their impact on the ethnic, religious, and political affiliations of Turkey’s minority communities, i.e. the role of Kurds, Alevis, Alawites, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews.

The first project phase examined the minority group’s ethnic, religious and political identities based on beliefs, history, group organization and ethnic dynamics, as well as assessed how they defined themselves in relation to one another and the larger Turkish identity. The second phase of the project identified the groups’ views on issues, such as the “Arab Spring” in Egypt and Syria; Turkey’s proposed EU accession; and the Turkish constitutional reform.  The team utilized academic literature, voting results and longitudinal demographic studies, in addition to anecdotes gathered from interviews with more than a dozen scholars and experts. In order to evaluate group voting behavior more closely, the team analyzed population surveys and conducted interviews to determine relevant population estimates and geographic concentrations. The team then examined neighborhood-specific 2011 and 2014 election data obtained from Turkish election officials and created corresponding tables and maps.

The Turkish government previously assigned minority groups to a periphery political position, but according to our findings, the groups are engaging in a public negotiation—a “new bargain”—with the government over their respective political and ethnic identities. Furthermore, the minority groups are redefining themselves with Turkey’s changing political marketplace.