Turkey and the Dilemma of EU Accession —— When Religion Meets Politics

----- 土耳其与加入欧盟的困境：当宗教遇上政治

ISBN: 9781848854581 出版年：2010 页码：241 Mirela Bogdani Bloomsbury Publishing

Hardback jacket blurb:The question of Turkey's membership of the EU has raised several controversial issues, including not only 'the borders of the EU' and its 'geographical limits', but critical questions of European identity, Islam's place in Europe and its role in European society. Enlargement of the EU to include Turkey is bringing back to the fore a significant issue which has, in recent times, been on the periphery of European politics and society: the relationship between religion and politics. Several controversial questions have been raised as a result of Turkey's pursuit of EU membership - will including such a large Muslim country, however secular, change the basic identity of the EU? Will it hinder the process of European integration? What impact do culture, religion and identity issues have on Turkey's chances of joining the EU? Are religious and cultural factors per se the primary obstacle to Turkish accession, or is it their interaction with other factors that is prolonging and complicating Turkey's progress towards EU membership? These are some of the questions that this book tries to answer. Mirela Bogdani identifies and analyses the complex range of factors that are influencing Turkey's long and bumpy journey towards EU membership, arguing that it is not solely due to technical issues that Turkey's accession to the EU has been so long and fraught, but also due to issues of culture and religion. She also assesses the contemporary debate on Turkey's candidacy from the European angle, by examining four categories of actors in the integration process: European citizens, EU institutions, EU member-states and European leaders. She investigates the reasons for opposition to Turkey's accession and identifies five potential factors, including issues of multiculturalism and the integration of Muslim communities in Europe, issues of 'Political Islam' and Islamic fundamentalism and its recent revival in Turkey. The book also analyses the tricky issue of the compatibility of Islam with Western values and Islam's ability to accommodate democracy and secularisation. This book will be an appealing resource for those who are interested in EU politics, EU enlargement policy, Turkey's process of EU accession, the relationship between religion and politics, identity politics, political Islam, multiculturalism and supranational .integration.Paperback cover blurb:What impact do issues of culture, religion and identity have on Turkey's chances of joining the EU? Are religious and cultural factors per se the primary obstacle to Turkish accession, or is it their interaction with other factors that is prolonging and complicating Turkey's progress towards EU membership? Mirela Bogdani here analyses the complex range of factors that are influencing the process of Turkey's accession to the EU, assesses the positions of different European actors towards Turkey's pursuit of EU membership and identifies the reasons for the European opposition. She also analyses the issues of political Islam, multiculturalism and the compatibility of Islam with democracy. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in EU politics, EU enlargement policy, EU-Turkey relations, the relationship between religion and politics, political Islam, multiculturalism and supranational integration.