Books by Mustafa Gurbuz
Rival Kurdish Movements in Turkey: Transforming Ethnic Conflict explores the conditions that enco... more Rival Kurdish Movements in Turkey: Transforming Ethnic Conflict explores the conditions that encourage non-violent civic engagement in emerging civil societies. The book examines the radical transformations over the past decade in the politics of Turkey's Kurdish minority. On the eve of the new millennium, the Turkish state was still openly denying the existence of Kurds, calling them " mountain Turks, " and Kurdish populated cities were ruled under martial law. Kurdish politics in Turkey was dominated by a revolutionary movement, the PKK, which engaged in violent clashes with the state. Less than a decade later, the PKK's rebellion had all but ended, and Kurdish political and civic movements of numerous stripes had emerged. The Turkish state even introduced an official Kurdish-language TV channel. How did this rapid change occur? Gürbüz proposes that contending social movements has transformed the politics of the region, ushering in an era of post-conflict political and cultural competition. 'Gürbüz shows how globalization and competition among Kurdish opposition groups has shaped the trajectory of Turkey-Kurdish relations. His multi-institutional approach is a fresh advance and essential for understanding the cycles of violence, repression, and reconciliation.'
Peer Reviewed Articles by Mustafa Gurbuz
Will pro-Kurdish reforms decrease ethnic violence in Turkey? Conventional wisdom would suggest th... more Will pro-Kurdish reforms decrease ethnic violence in Turkey? Conventional wisdom would suggest that elimination of the root causes will heal past wounds. In bitter ethno-political conflicts, however, the issue becomes much larger than its components: deep mistrust between parties overshadow specific issue reforms. Turkey's Kurdish issue is a case in point where ethnic reforms would not bring stability unless they are coupled with steps to eliminate mistrust. This article pays a specific attention to public framing of reforms. We argue that the actual content of reforms is not so significant; what really matters, instead, is the public perception of reforms on both sides, Turkish and Kurdish. The AKP's claim of " democratic opening " loses credibility in recent years as the PKK's alternative narrative gains prominence.
This paper examines the divergent reactions of the two most prominent Turkish-Islamic movements t... more This paper examines the divergent reactions of the two most prominent Turkish-Islamic movements to a crisis in the Parliament that centered on an elected Deputy's right to wear the headscarf. After the crisis, the National Outlook movement protested, while the Gu¨len movement became Ug˘ ur and especially Sharon Erickson Nepstad for their useful comments and criticisms on earlier drafts; and Serhan Erol for archival research help at the National Library in Ankara, Turkey.
European Journal of Turkish Studies Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey, Jun 1, 2012
Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 2009
... I believe, my outgoing nature has been influenced partly by my observing hijab. (Husna) ... W... more ... I believe, my outgoing nature has been influenced partly by my observing hijab. (Husna) ... We are also indebted to Ahmet T. Kuru, Nancy A. Naples, Ayse Safak, Clinton Sanders, Hakki Tas, Gaye Tuchman and Abdulkadir Yildirim for their invaluable comments and criticisms. ...
While union density in the public sector has increased in recent decades, private sector union de... more While union density in the public sector has increased in recent decades, private sector union density in the U.S. has declined steadily since the mid-1950s. Scholars have evoked a variety of explanations to account for the decline in union membership, but substantially less attention has been devoted to understanding the contribution of the union organizing process as governed by the
Middle East Critique, 2009
... Turkey. View full textDownload full text Full access. DOI: 10.1080/19436140903237046 Mustafa ... more ... Turkey. View full textDownload full text Full access. DOI: 10.1080/19436140903237046 Mustafa E. Gurbuz a * pages 231-249. ... pp. 809–828; Ibrahim Kaya (2000) Modernity and veiled women, European Journal of Social Theory, 3, pp. ...
Revolutionary ideologies such as Marxism and Islamism often aim to transform dominant local struc... more Revolutionary ideologies such as Marxism and Islamism often aim to transform dominant local structures, leading their proponents to find themselves torn between global ideologies and local politics. A critical question arises: What does happen when a revolutionary movement's ideology drastically contradicts with the movement's local pragmatic purposes? Analyzing Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey, this article explores the complex process of ideological transformation under the forces of local competition. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin's dialogic approach, I introduce the concept of symbolic localization to understand how revolutionary ideologies evolve through pragmatic concerns. Symbolic localization refers to a discursive process of collective reputation work in which social movement activists blend local cultural repertoires and their " we " identity in order to build recognition, legitimacy, and prestige in the eyes of local population. Three major mechanisms of the symbolic localization process are identified: moral authority building, public symbolism, and memory work. Symbolic localiza-tion suggests analyzing movement ideology as a discursive process and illuminates how political activists are shaped by relational local engagements. " Employing a Marxist discourse in the region is like dancing without music! The Southeast (Turkey) is extremely conservative! " These are the words of a pro-Kurdish activist who complains about the stigma attached to the Kurdish leftist ideology. What does happen when a revolutionary move-ment's ideology is largely seen as incongruent with the popular culture? Scholars demonstrate that social movement activists not only seek material resources but also symbolic ones such as recognition, prestige, and legitimacy in public eye; thus, they often attempt to resonate with the local cultural repertoires (Snow and Benford 1988). The process of cultural resonance, however , is especially challenging for revolutionary groups, which generally have strong ideological commitments. Since revolutionary ideologies such as Marx-ism and Islamism aim to transform dominant local structures, revolutionaries often find themselves in between global ideologies and local politics, asking to what extent they should harness local culture in their efforts to resonate. The strategy of utilizing dominant local culture may not only challenge their ideological standpoints but also harm their efforts to transform that particular local culture. In other words, " activists appropriating ideas from the dominant
Book Reviews by Mustafa Gurbuz
Review of Senem Aslan's book, Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber... more Review of Senem Aslan's book, Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent
American Ethnologist, 2008
ABSTRACT A review of Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public ... more ABSTRACT A review of Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space, by John R. Bowen
Journal of Contemporary Religion, 2014
Review Essay by Mustafa Gurbuz
Think Tank Reports by Mustafa Gurbuz
After the fall of Aleppo, Turkey’s capacity to maneuver in the region will suffer tremendously.
The military victory in Mosul will not be sufficient unless the United States finds a political r... more The military victory in Mosul will not be sufficient unless the United States finds a political resolution, in cooperation with local parties, that addresses Sunni grievances and fears in Nineveh.
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Books by Mustafa Gurbuz
Peer Reviewed Articles by Mustafa Gurbuz
Book Reviews by Mustafa Gurbuz
Review Essay by Mustafa Gurbuz
Think Tank Reports by Mustafa Gurbuz