Political science in the age of populism: perspectives from Turkey

ABSTRACT: This article discusses the impact of political transformations on political science in Turkey during the Justice and Development Party (AKP) period from 2002 to the present, with a particular focus on the experiences of political scientists. After first taking power and in accordance with its concerns about attaining domestic and international legitimacy, AKP launched a democratization process by implementing several reforms leading toward EU membership. During this process, the boundaries of politics were broadened, enabling political discussion of certain taboo topics. However, this trend was reversed after AKP’s authoritarian populist tendencies strengthened. The party’s growing anti-intellectualist stance has also made scholars the target of the government’s populist discourse. These c

SUBMITTER: Ersoy D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7814168 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature