[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]

English

Criminalizing the Opposition İhsan Dağ says that “the ruling party, like its Kemalist predecessors, views politics as a battlefield in which they must either eliminate their opponents or be eliminated.”

Why is Erdoğan Polarizing Turkey? Şahin Alpay believes that it is the Prime Minister’s election strategy.

Erdoğan Is Behaving Like an Old-Fashioned, 1930s Ruler Orhan Pamuk writes about Taksim Square, the effects of Breaking Bad, and why the future of the novel is in the East.

In Turkey, Critics of Erdogan’s Government Claim Familiar Pattern of Reprisal Piotr Zalewski comments on the apparent crackdown against the media and the intimidation of business in Turkey.

Political Frontiers, Parallel Universes, and the Challenges for the Gezi Park Movement Leonidas Karakatsanis attempts to answer the question: “How is it possible for the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Ankara to turn their heads so bluntly away from reality, deny the truth, and ignore the refutations of their statements?”

Police Violence Did Not Cause Turkey’s Uprising Arkan Akın claims that the Gezi uprising is the result of a long accumulation of oppression, injustice, and concentration of wealth and power as well as neoliberal policies.

Uprisings in Turkey Analysing the Gezi uprising, Kıvanç Atak provides preliminary thoughts and questions, borrowing from social movement theories.

Criticism to Erdoğan Goes Deeper than Trees and “Interference with Lifestyles” Irmak Bademli asserts that what seem like Erdoğan’s successes are what actually led people to take to the streets.

On the Origins and Possible Consequences of the Gezi Protests Mehmet Uğur Ekinci claims that the Gezi uprising gives opportunities not only for the opposition, but also for the ruling party.

The Past Present: Turkey, Erdoğan, and the Gezi Protests Timur Hammond examines the historical linkage drawn after the Gezi uprising between Tayyip Erdoğan and Adnan Menderes.

Reclaiming the Right to the City: Reflections on the Urban Uprisings in Turkey Mehmet Barış Kuymulu analyzes how the recent social mobilization is tied to the Gezi uprising.

Boyun Eğme / Don’t Bend Your Neck Hannah Klein shares her personal impressions collected roughly between May 31 and June 10, in İstanbul’s Gezi Park.

The Gender Battleground Nicole Pope points out that women, their bodies, and their lifestyles have become one of the main battlegrounds in Turkey.

The Kurds` Golden Age Gökhan Bacık argues that the Kurds have a historic chance to determine their political status in the Middle East for the first time.

Turkey’s Missed Opportunities With the Kurds Cengiz Çandar says Turkey has to get out of the heavy coma it entered after the Gezi uprising, as well as the severe traumas it is suffering from the Syrian Kurds’ march toward self-rule.

Has Turkey Made U-Turn On Syria’s Kurds? Cengiz Çandar analyzes Democratic Union Party (PYD) co-chairman Salih Muslim’s visit to Turkey.

Reconciliation with Syrian Kurds: Shift in Paradigm? Leyla Kemal says the new realities unfolding in Syrian Kurdistan “requir[e] Ankara to redesign its policy on Syria in particular in a way that will not further complicate its Kurdish peace process.”

Can the Kurds Redeem Erdoğan’s Faltering Image? Semih İdiz asks a similar question and  claims that history has provided Erdoğan with a unique opportunity to redeem himself toward the Kurds.

An Aging AK Party Faces New Dynamics Cengiz Aktar says creating synergy with the Gezi uprising and the growing Kurdish movement will be hard for AKP, since it “has transformed into a state party.”

The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories Suat Kınıklıoğlu emphasizes the fact that “Turkey is no longer the same country that it was prior to the morning of May 31, 2013.”

Turkey’s Twitter “Fenos” Work to Marginalize Critics Pınar Tremblay writes on the ongoing “witch-hunt process” targeting journalists.

Discourse of Public Morality and Human Rights Violations of Transgender Individuals in Turkey Sedef Çakmak explores the systematic violations towards LGBT individuals in Turkey.

Both Transphobic and Whorephobic: The Murder of Dora Oezer Caty Simon interviews Kemal Iffetsiz Asyu Ayrikotu, chair of the Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association.

Why Did Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Hit Turkish Embassy in Somalia? Mustafa Akyol comments on the suicide bombing attack on Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu.

Turkey’s Tendency Toward Grandiosity Aaron Stein claims that Turkey’s exaggerated pretensions compels it to failures in its foreign policy.

Turkey’s Role as a Regional Power: Its Scope, Challenges, and Future The Quilliam Foundation provides an overview of the significant changes within Turkey and of the country’s engagement with the MENA region over the last ten years.

Turkish

Rojava sınavı Fehim Taştekin argues that Turkey has shaken hands with the Kurds “out of necessity,” but that we have yet to see evidence of this new direction following Turkish officials’ meeting with PYD co-chair Saleh Muslim.

Ortadoğu`da savaşlar sınırları değiştirir Murat Yetkin situates the current developments in the Middle East in the context of the post-Cold War framework of US interests in the region and elsewhere.

Notos 41: Taksim-Gezi Direnişi The current issue of literary journal Notos focuses on the Taksim-Gezi uprising.

Atlas 245: Kentsel Dönüş This August issue of the travel magazine Atlas focuses on the urban transformation of Istanbul.

Praksis 30-31: 2000′li Yıllarda Türkiye’de Kamu Politikaları The current issue of historical materialist journal Praksis explores public policies in Turkey in the 2000s.

Kolektif Eylem Gezi Direnişi Yazıları II: Muhafazakar Kemalizm Yakup Kıvanç claims that the AKP "surrendered itself to the language of Kemalism" in response to the Gezi resistance, and analyzes this behavior within the framework of "Neo-Kemalism" or "Conservative Kemalism."

Kolektif Eylem Gezi Direnişi Yazıları VII: Gezi, Temsiliyet, Ütopya Zeynel Gül questions how representative "representative democracy" really is in light of the Gezi uprising.

Kürtlerin stratejik yöneliminde Kürt Ulusal Kongresi’nin önemi Mustafa Pekoz explores the importance of the recently convened Kurdish National Congress in the context of the Kurdish movement`s strategy.

Kürt ulusu ve tarihin yeni randevusu Nuray Mert writes that the Kurdish movement within Turkey needs to be understood before we can evaluate the "peace process" and Rojava (Western Kurdistan-North Syria.)

“Tanıdığım transeksüellerden biri bile eceliyle ölmedi” Cankız Çevik interviews Demet Yanardağ from the Siyah Pembe Üçgen Foundation in İzmir, following the murder of trans sex worker Dora Oezer.

Rojava’da Suikast Seyit Evran analyzes the attacks against Kurdish leaders in Rojava.

Türkiye’nin Rojava sorunu In light of the recent developments in Rojava, Yetvart Danzikyan asks why Turkey still has a "Kurdish problem" while the government is in an ongoing negotiation process with the PKK.

Dev projeler ÇED kapsamı dışına çıkartılıyor Ecology Collective’s statement about the exceptions made for mega projects such as Istanbul`s third bridge, which bypassed the Environmental Impact Evaluation regulations.

Faili belli A human rights blog that keeps track of unsolved murder cases.

Roboski: nasıl mutlu olunur Following PM Erdoğan`s meeting with families who lost their relatives in the Roboski massacre, Mehves Evin argues that "real" democratization will start when the parliament subcommittee’s investigation of the massacre is reopened.

PKK nereye koşuyor? Ezgi Başaran writes that "there is a Kurdish train on the move in the Middle East and the PKK wants to be a legitimate locomotive accepted by the world."

TC İçişleri Bakanına Mektup: Biber Gazının Yasadışı Kullanımı A Human Rights Watch (HRW) letter to the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs about "the illegal use of tear gas."

Medyadan `bölgesel Kürt politikası`na... Cengiz Çandar writes that, even though the government developed close relations with Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan) in the last couple years, it still hesitates to utter the words "Kurds" and "Kurdistan."

Ütopyalar güzeldir Derya Kömürcü writes that the Gezi uprising relocated politics to its proper place by connecting politics to everyday life and initiating a conversation about urban transformations.

Gezi Direnişi: Etik ve Etoloji Onur Eylül Kara writes on the “ethics and ethology” of the Gezi movement.

Şarkılarla Gezi Rehberi A musical guide to the Gezi uprising.

Sokaktan iktidar çıkar mı? İhsan Dağı writes, “although it is a right to protest those in power, it is essentially the ballot box which brings changes in political power.”

Alevîlerin çözeceği Alevî sorunu Mümtaz’er Türköne analyzes the latest “revolutionary” comments of Director of Religious Affairs Mehmet Görmez on the Alevis in Turkey.

Değişen gerçek algıları Doğu Ergil writes that the republic’s fear of religion and of Kurds has slowed down “the founding of a constitutional state based on separation of powers” as well as “the normalization of politics in Turkey, that is, just representation and pluralist participation.”

Gezi Fenomenolojisi: Neye niyet, neye kısmet? Yasin Aktay, a member of AKP’s central board of directors, claims that “Gezi at this moment has become an area of emotional attachments and symbolic projection, even an expression of identity.”

Muslim: Ezber bozuldu M. Ali Çelebi interviews PYD leader Saleh Muslim, who affirms that Turkey is taking steps to go beyond its “denial policies.”

Gezi`nin siyasî felsefesi: Totalitarizm Atilla Yayla dubitably claims that those who admire Gezi mostly have Kemalist backgrounds.

Medyayı penguen bile kurtaramadı Media specialist Ragıp Duran says that “even penguin documentaries could not save the media of the sovereign.”

TÜPRAŞ örneği: 28 Şubat’ın ayıpları niye tekrarlanıyor? Hasan Cemal asks why Erdoğan’s government is repeating the mistakes made during the 28 February process when it comes to economic boycotts.

AK Parti`nin görmek istemediği gerçek Murat Aksoy writes that the “political loneliness” of the AKP results in the exposure of the “authoritarian essence of power,” which stems not from the party but from “bureaucracy.”

Düşündürücü bir Taksim-Gezi söyleşisi... Cengiz Çandar comments on Pankaj Mishra’s interview of Orhan Pamuk.

Direnişlerin kardeşliğinden halkların kardeşliğine Erhan Demircioğlu writes that the Gezi resistance defies pre-existing categories in Turkey’s socio-political arena.

Gezi eylemlerine nasıl gelindi? A social media analysis lists fifty AKP policies that generated the most reactions pre-Gezi uprising, including: the Reyhanlı bombings, social welfare policies, rape, and the Uludere massacre.

Rojava saldırılarının arkasında ne var? Çağıl Kasapoğlu asks what is “behind” the Rojava attacks.

“Türkiye modeli”: Niye olmuyor? Nasıl olur? Cengiz Çandar asks why the “Turkish model” is not working and speculates on how it would work.

İslamcılık ve Türkiye’nin gelecek sosyolojisi Mazhar Bağlı writes that the “real reason” behind the question of whether Islam can answer contemporary problems is the “existence of a religion which has been torn from life’s dynamics and subsumed under state monopoly.”

Published on Jadaliyya

Delinquent Kids, Revolutionary Mothers, Uncle Governor, and Erdogan the Patriarch (Part One)

Delinquent Kids, Revolutionary Mothers, Uncle Governor, and Erdogan the Patriarch (Part Two)

New Texts Out Now: Derya Bayir, Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law

The Kurdish Music Industry: History and Politics

We Are Taksim Solidarity, We Are Here

Taksim Is/Is Not Tahrir: Comparative Frameworks in Managing Protest