The 12^th International Conference of
	ISSEI	In cooperation With
	International Society for the Study of European Ideas

Section II: Politics, Economics, Law

Workshop: Turkey and Her Neighbours: Past, Present and Future

Chairs: David W. Lovell and Jonathan Warner

The relationship between Turkey and her near neighbours has been long, multifaceted, and often difficult (if not positively hostile). Like most relationships where questions of identity are at stake, mistrust or fear of ‘the other’ seems to be a constant element, moving in a cycle from background to foreground as circumstances change.

That the questions of identity in the case of relations with Europe centre on religion, and especially on the longstanding tensions between Islam and Christianity, adds intensity plus a veneer of normalcy to the difficulties. But Turkey’s relationship with Europe is also one of mutual influence over many centuries, where ideas on a range of issues including (among others) politics, economics, military science, art and literature have crossed the shifting boundaries between these two entities, along with workers and travellers. The Ottoman Empire was either helped or hindered in its last century, according to one’s standpoint, by European reforms and funds. Modern, Atatürk-inspired Turkey certainly owes much of its social and political shape to European ideas of nationalism and modernity. And both the European Union and Turkey are currently engaged in an awkward, halting dance of political and economic unification to which neither side seems particularly committed, but which neither side wants strongly enough to end. Particular bilateral disputes with Greece and the long-running Cyprus Problem complicate Turkey’s relationships with the EU.

Turkey’s relationships with her non-European neighbours are also nuanced and often problematic. The politics of the Armenian massacres of the First world war (which Turkey denies was a genocide) have made rapprochement difficult, despite recent progress. Syria and Iraq, long sources of irritation because of their perceived support of the Kurdish terrorist group, the PKK, have seen generally improving relations recently. Further afield, Turkey’s friendships with Israel and now Russia have suggested that there is a perceived viable alternative to looking west.

Domestically, the increasing role of religion under the current AKP government has produced tensions with the secular elite, as the two groups vie to define the nature of Turkish identity.

This workshop provides an opportunity for scholars in various fields to reflect on the long relationships between Turkey and her neighbours: how these have developed; how they currently stand; and where they might be heading. Contributions for all areas of scholarly inquiry will be welcomed.

Dr David W. Lovell

Professor of Politics and Head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences

University of New South Wales at ADFA, Australia

Contact: d.lovell@adfa.edu.au

Dr Jonathan Warner

Professor and Tutor in Economics

Quest University, Canada

Contact: jww@questu.ca

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