Human Rights in Turkey

by Arat, Zehra F.; Falk, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780812240009
• ISBN10: 0812240006
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-04-11
• Publisher: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr

Summary

Turkey's mixed human rights record has been highly politicized in the debate surrounding the country's probable ascendance to membership in the European Union. Beginning with the foundation of a secular republic in 1923, and continuing with founding membership in the United Nations and participation in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Turkey made significant commitments to the advancement of human rights. However, its authoritarian tradition, periods of military rule, increasing social inequality, and economic crises have led to policies that undermine human rights. While legislative reforms and civil social activism since the 1980s have contributed greatly to the advancement of human rights, recent progress is threatened by the rise of nationalism, persistent gender inequality, and economic hardship.In Human Rights in Turkey, twenty-one Turkish and international scholars from various disciplines examine human rights policies and conditions since the 1920s, at the intersection of domestic and international politics, as they relate to all spheres of life in Turkey. A wide range of rights, such as freedom of the press, freedom of religion, minority rights, women's rights, workers' rights, and the right to education, are examined in the context of current conditions and against the history of the Republic of Turkey.In light of the events of September 11, 2001, and subsequent developments in the Middle East, recent proposals about modeling other Muslim countries after Turkey add urgency to an in-depth study of Turkish politics and the causal links with human rights. The scholarship presented in Human Rights in Turkey holds significant implications for the study of human rights in the Middle East and around the globe.

Author Biography

Zehra F. Kabasakal Arat is Juanita and Joseph Leff Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies at Purchase College of the State University of New York.

Table of Contents

Collisions and crossroads : introducing human rights in Turkey	p. 1
Freedoms and antidiscrimination
Freedoms of press and broadcasting	p. 19
The minority concept and rights in Turkey : the Lausanne peace treaty and current issues	p. 35
The human rights condition of the Rum Orthodox	p. 57
Linguistic human rights and the rights of Kurds	p. 72
Freedom of religion : secularist policies and Islamic challenges	p. 87
Social and economic rights
So near, yet so far : freedom of association and workers' rights	p. 105
The right to education	p. 123
Environmental protection and rights	p. 137
The rights of the displaced
Conflict-induced internal displacement	p. 159
Turkish asylum policy and human rights	p. 170
Women's rights
Women's rights, women's organizations, and the state	p. 187
The effect of CEDAW on women's rights	p. 202
Civic and educational efforts
Human rights discourse and domestic human rights NGOs	p. 217
Tensions and dilemmas in human rights education	p. 233
International affairs and interactions
Turkey's participation in global and regional human rights regimes	p. 249
Leveraging norms : the ECHR and Turkey's human rights reforms	p. 262
Conclusion : Turkey's prospects and broader implications	p. 275
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