Turkey and the European Union: Processes of Europeanisation

Abstract

The book Turkey and the European Union: Processes of Europeanisation examines Turkey’s potential EU membership through case studies, focusing on how 'Europeanization' affects Turkish politics, identity, civil society, and foreign policy. The central argument is that while Turkey has undergone significant institutional changes due to its EU candidacy—such as constitutional reforms and expansions in minority/women's rights—the impact of Europeanization remains uneven and often contradictory. The reviewer critically assesses the book’s claims, noting strengths like the analysis of constitutional reforms but also limitations, such as persistent authoritarian tendencies evident in events like the Gezi Park protests. The work explores whether Turkey’s EU candidacy has altered national identity, scrutinizes democratization efforts, discusses civil society and rights expansions, and examines foreign policy shifts toward Middle Eastern/Asian partners. Theoretically, it centers on Europeanization, proposing a 'bottom-up' model specific to Turkey but is critiqued for overstating the depth of democratic progress.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)