Papers by Ayse Betul Celik
Research Handbook on Mediating International Crises, 2019
Contention, 2016
By happenstance, we found ourselves in Istanbul, Turkey in early June 2013 only days after a mass... more By happenstance, we found ourselves in Istanbul, Turkey in early June 2013 only days after a mass anti-government protest developed in and around Gezi Park. In addition to informal discussions and interviews with academics and others, we visited the protest site and traveled throughout Istanbul to directly experience the atmosphere and events. We also conducted two studies of Turks' participation in, and views of, the protests. This paper recounts the events in Istanbul that summer and reviews our own, and other, social science research on the protests and the protestors. We focus on who the protestors were and why they protested, as opposed to the less engaged actions of visiting the protests or following them in the media.
British Journal of Social Psychology, Feb 11, 2019
Although a notable minority orient to real-world demonstrations by actively participating, other ... more Although a notable minority orient to real-world demonstrations by actively participating, other less involved, safer, orientations are more frequent. Thus, in the context of antigovernment demonstrations in Gezi Park/Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2013, we distinguished between the orientations of participating, visiting, and watching. Study 1 (N = 359) and Study 2 (N = 327) confirmed that participating was characterized by greater experience of police violence and feelings of collective empowerment (Drury & Reicher, European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 2005, 35) than visiting and watching the demonstrations. Expanding upon and replicating the findings from Study 1, Study 2 examined identification with protestors and left-wing ideology, along with constructs (social support, anger at the government, protestor's efficacy, endorsement of protestors) from the dynamic dual pathway model (van Zomeren et al., Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 2012, 180) as predictors of the three different orientations to the demonstrations. As expected, the dynamic dual pathway model predicted reported participation via endorsement of protestors, independent of identification with protestors and left-wing ideology.
Security Dialogue, Apr 24, 2017
This article contributes to the recent literature on ontological security in conflict studies by ... more This article contributes to the recent literature on ontological security in conflict studies by empirically investigating, through a case study of Turkey’s Kurdish issue, how ontological asymmetry complicates peace processes. Over time, all conflicts become embroiled in a set of self-conceptions and narratives vis-à-vis the Other, the maintenance of which becomes critical for ontological security. In ethnic conflicts, however, these conceptions and narratives also intersect with a fundamental ontological asymmetry, because such conflicts often pit state parties with secure existence against ethnic groups with contested status and illegitimate standing. We argue that peace processes are easier to initiate but harder to conclude in ontologically asymmetric conflicts. Accordingly, we find that during the 2009–2015 peace process in Turkey, ontological (in)security-induced dynamics presented themselves in cyclical patterns of ambitious peace initiatives receiving greater support among the Kurdish public but giving way, at the first sign of crisis, to a rapid and dramatic return to violence, which neither side acted to stem. Moreover, we underscore that ontologically asymmetric conflicts, such as Turkey’s Kurdish issue, are often characterized by a societal security dilemma, where the conditions of ontological security for one party undermine those of the other. Therefore, building consensus around a new shared peace narrative may not be possible or desirable, and a lasting solution to Turkey’s Kurdish issue depends on the development of an agonistic peace around coexisting, multiple and contestatory narratives.
Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, Jul 1, 2017
rights are shaped by different political ideologies and remain a hotly contested policy issue in ... more rights are shaped by different political ideologies and remain a hotly contested policy issue in most parts of the world. In Turkey the disputes concerning these rights have grown since 2002, when a conservative government assumed power. Analyzing how both governmental and civil society actors have discussed and framed reproductive policies primarily in reference to religion since the ascension of the Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (Justice and Development Party; AKP), this article focuses on debates that took place in 2012 about abortion and caesarean birth. The critical discourse and frame analysis, based on online speeches and media articles of these actors from November 2002 through 2014, reveal a remarkable diversity both in the interpretation of Islamic teachings and in a group of actors with similar ideological orientation. The article concludes by arguing for the need to move beyond the Islamic versus secular divide and to denaturalize and dehomogenize the role of religion in the public sphere.
New Perspectives on Turkey, Feb 10, 2021
Based on the analysis of a meeting with nineteen women from civil society with diverse background... more Based on the analysis of a meeting with nineteen women from civil society with diverse backgrounds, invited to discuss what has gone wrong in Turkey’s Kurdish peace process and what women can do for peace in a highly polarized atmosphere, this article explores women’s dialogue in a conflict situation. With insights from deliberative and agonistic perspectives, the article shows that in a multiple-identity conflict, topical shifts in dialogue are accompanied by shifting alliances. The search for mutual definitions on conflictual issues renders the deliberation of sensitive issues difficult, so women circumvent polarizing discourses through indirect and covert language. However, the discussion of gender-based experiences with direct, contestational language helps women underline shared issues and address resentments. Dialogue’s transformative potential also depends on the existence of trust and an intersectionality perspective for which further dialogic initiatives should develop strategies.
European Foreign Affairs Review, Jun 1, 2006
Third World Quarterly, Sep 27, 2021
Using data collected from a dialogue meeting in Turkey of 19 women participants with different id... more Using data collected from a dialogue meeting in Turkey of 19 women participants with different ideological orientations, ethnicities and sects, as well as 10 in-depth follow-up interviews, this article explores the dynamics of listening and emotions in dialogue in multiple-identity conflicts. Considering listening as an important component of agonistic peace, the article aims to understand the conditions that help or hinder listening and one’s perception of being listened to in the face of weighty emotions in the context of women’s dialogic encounters. The article shows that agonistic listening facilitates the expression of emotions and views, and an interest in Other’s story, while an attitude of care stemming from previous experience of working together on women’s issues may help transform the antagonistic Other into an agonistic one. However, agonistic listening does not lead to significant perspective change and entails only a temporary suspension of one’s categories to lend the Other an attentive ear; it is a conception of listening that recognises the temporary and limited character of listening and the place of emotions in dialogue with the Other.
Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, 2016
All copyrights of this report are reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form ... more All copyrights of this report are reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without TESEV's explicit permission. TESEV can not be hold liable for any comments and/or summary made in reference to this report, which exceed and/or deviate from its content, as well as any translation made into other languages. This is the only authorized English version of the report.
Patterns of Prejudice, May 27, 2014
Drawn from focus groups composed of fifty-five Kurdish young people in Diyarbakır, Başer and Çeli... more Drawn from focus groups composed of fifty-five Kurdish young people in Diyarbakır, Başer and Çelik's article concerns the young Kurds' description of the Kurdish issue in Turkey and their visions of peace. In recognition of their social and political agency, the article focuses on the Kurdish young people's framing of both the conflict and peace, based on their individual everyday observations and experiences, and seeks to understand how they frame the Kurdish issue by defining the root causes of the conflict and imagining solutions for its resolution, particularly vis-à-vis the dominant frames regarding the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
International Migration, 2017
The peace process in Turkey, since its inception, has not paid any attention to internal displace... more The peace process in Turkey, since its inception, has not paid any attention to internal displacement or its gendered aspects. This study analyses how displaced women remember the gendered aspects of displacement and perceive reconciliation and peace. The analysis, based on interviews with 42 internally displaced women, shows that changing domestic and international contexts have substantive impact on how displaced women remember their stories and the meaning they attach to their ethnic identities. Consequently, it suggests that if the peace process is re-initiated, leaders need to take into consideration that each component of reconciliation (justice, peace, trust towards the state, intergroup relations and truth-telling) has different difficulties to be overcome when the gendered aspect of displacement is taken into account and consider return not only as a realistic demand but also as a political wish.
Turkish Studies, 2021
Unlike various natural disasters that some studies have highlighted as potential contributors to ... more Unlike various natural disasters that some studies have highlighted as potential contributors to peace, the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is neither short-term nor regionally confined. Thus, rather than invoking a compassionate response, the pandemic is likely to aggravate pre-existing divisions and create an environment that accentuates survival over compassion. Building on a large probability survey data gathered in May 2020 in Turkey, we demonstrate that the pandemic has disproportionally affected minority Kurds and exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and social polarization. Results from a series of regression analyses show growing dissatisfaction with the Turkish government's handling of the pandemic. However, this effect fails to translate into the sense of solidarity between majority Turks and minority Kurds necessary to build a peaceful society. Support for the government's approach to the Kurdish opposition seems to be conditioned by social categorization ...
Although it has been fifteen years since the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted UNSCR... more Although it has been fifteen years since the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted UNSCR 1325 on women, peace and security, studies show little progress in inclusion of women and women’s issues to peace processes. This paper analyses why such issues are important for durable peace by widening the discussion to how substantive influence of women to peace can be accomplished. In Turkey, the peace process, originally known as the Kurdish Opening, initiated in 2009 has paid little attention to the gendered aspect of the long-lived war, has not included any plan to deal with the needs of the women affected by the conflict, and failed to incorporate enough women peace-makers to the process. This article points out the necessity of developing a holistic approach to incorporating women’s issues to peace processes as well as increasing not only the number of women but also those who can make a substantive difference.
Research Handbook on Mediating International Crises, 2019
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Papers by Ayse Betul Celik