European Union Civil Society Policy and Turkey: A Bridge Too Far?

The increasing importance of civil society and civil society actors in recent decades has ensured that they now feature prominently in the European Union's enlargement strategy with the EU now possessing a series of policies on civil society in line with its perceived importance in the expansion of the Eurozone. Drawing on interviews with civil society organizations and in conjunction with an examination of EU Civil Society Policy and the legal and institutional environment in Turkey, this book questions the impact that these policies have had on Turkish civil society suggesting that it is, at best, limited.

Instead this book argues that the EU could not accomplish its expected objectives within the framework of its civil society policy in Turkey due to a universalist understanding that ignores the current domestic structure of Turkish civil society as well as disregarding its political nature and the autonomous character of Turkey's civil society actors.

Contents:

+ Acknowledgements

+ List Of Acronyms

+ List Of Tables

+ List Of Figures

+ List Of Maps

+ PART I: INTRODUCTION: CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE EU APPROACH
++ 1. The Case Of Turkey
++ 2. Eu Approach To Civil Society
++ 3. Methods Of Analysis
++ 4. Organisation Of The Book

+ PART II: ESTABLISHING THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
++ 5. Emergence Of The Concept Of Civil Society
++ 6. Civic-Liberal Tradition
++ 7. Neo-Tocquevillians
++ 8. The Impact On EU Civil Society Policy

+ PART III: UNDERSTANDING EU CIVIL SOCIETY POLICY IN TURKEY
++ 9. EU Civil Society Policy And European Integration
++ 10. Eastern Enlargement And Its Impact
++ 11. Eu Civil Society Policy In The Turkish Context
++ 12. Instruments Of EU Civil Society Policy In Turkey

+ PART IV: THE IMPACT OF EU CIVIL SOCIETY POLICY IN TURKEY
++ 13. Thematic Field Analyses
++ 14. Transformation Of The Legal And Institutional Environment

+ PART V: WHAT GOES WRONG?
++ 15. Challenging The EU's Conceptualization Of Civil Society
++ 16. A Different Perspective On Civil Society
++ 17. The Implications For The EU Accession Process
++ 18. The Role Of Immediate Environment

+ PART VI: WHAT GOES WRONG?
++ 19. An Overview Of The First Decades Of Turkish Republic (1923 – 1945)
++ 20. Multi-Party Period (1946 – 1960)
++ 21. Years Of Turbulence (1961 – 1980)
++ 22. The Post-1980 Period (1981 – 1999)
++ 23. The Eu Accession Period (2000 – 2012)
++ 24. The Impact Of Historical Baggage On Contemporary Civil Society

+ PART VII: CONCLUSION
++ 25. Summary Of Research Findings
++ 26. Arguments And Discussion
++ 27. The Way Forward

+ Appendices
++ A.1 List Of Civil Society Organisation Interviews
++ A.2 Number Of Associations In Turkey (1980-2011)
++ A.3 Number Of Foundations In Turkey (1980-2012)
++ A.4 Number Of Associations According To Their Types (1998-2011)
++ A.5 Provincial Breakdown Of The Number Of Active Associations In Turkey
++ A.6 List Of Legislative Reforms On Freedom Of Association And Freedom Of Assembly In Turkey Since 1999

+ Bibliography

+ List Of Personal Interviews

+ Glossary

+ Index