The book

Turkey and its recent ethno-religious transformation have had a strong impact on the state identity and the country’s relation to the Balkan Peninsula. This book examines Turkey’s ethno-religious activism and power-related political strategies in the Balkans between 2002 and 2020, the period under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), to determine the scope of its activities in the region. It discusses the effects of Turkey's authoritarian turn during the AKP rule in the domain of foreign policy and examines the role of religion, ethnicity, state identity and power in the relations between Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula. 

The author

Ahmet Erdi Öztürk is a Lecturer in International Relations and Politics at London Metropolitan University and non-residential scholar at the Turkey Programme of ELIAMEP. Between 2021-2023, he will work as Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow at Coventry University in the UK and at the GIGA Institute in Hamburg, Germany. He is also an associate researcher at the Institute Francais d’Etudes Anatoliennes and editor of the International Journal of Religion. Dr. Öztürk is the author of more than 20 peer review articles and co-editor of three books on Turkey, religion and authoritarianism.

Moderation  

Christoph K. Neumann, Professor of Turkish Studies, Institute of Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich