The AKP's Approach toward Non-Muslim Minorities: Constructivist and Rationalist Insights


ÖZTIĞ L. İ., AYDIN K.

ALTERNATIVES, vol.42, no.2, pp.59-73, 2017 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 42 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2017
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0304375417741706
  • Journal Name: ALTERNATIVES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.59-73
  • Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Since the Justice and Development Party (the AKP) came to power, it has expanded the rights of non-Muslim minorities. In order to provide a comprehensive theoretical perspective of the AKP's policies toward non-Muslim minorities, this article utilizes constructivist and rationalist insights (the logic of appropriateness and the logic of consequences, respectively). This article argues that the AKP's policies toward non-Muslim minorities are linked to its normative commitment to religious freedom. In addition, by drawing upon the literature of political marketing, this article argues that the AKP's policies toward non-Muslim minorities can be analyzed as a strategy to expand its voter base.