[PDF] Cultural Diplomacy and Turkeys road towards EU-Membership Nr 8

1210_4de_177_adrian_b_ebner_turkish_culture_as_european_culture.pdf

Adrian B. Ebner

Turkish Culture as European Culture? Cultural Diplomacy and -Membership

Nr. 8 - Mai 2014

Ziel

Die Andrássy Beiträge der Fakultät für Internationale Beziehungen dienen der stärkeren Verknüpfung

von Lehre und Forschung. Sie bieten Forschern und Studierenden der Andrássy Universität die

Möglichkeit, qualitativ hochstehende Arbeiten aus den Bereichen der Wirtschaftswissenschaft,

Politikwissenschaft und Diplomatie zu publizieren und damit einem grösseren Fachpublikum

zugänglich zu machen. Die Qualität der Beiträge wird vom Herausgeberkomitee sichergestellt.

Herausgeberkomitee

Prof. Dr. Ellen Bos

Prof. Dr. Martina Eckardt

Prof. Dr. Dietmar Meyer

Prof. Dr. Stefan Okruch

Dr. Zoltán Tibor Pállinger

Dr. Dr. Dietrich F. Pohl

ISSN: 2063-9414

URL: http://www.andrassyuni.eu/forschung/publikationen/andrassy-beitrge-der-fakultt-fur-inter- nationale-beziehungen

Table of contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 5

2. Literature Review .......................................................................................................................... 6

3. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................... 13

4. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 16

5. Limitations .................................................................................................................................... 19

6. Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 19

6.1. Sources of information ............................................................................................................ 19

6.2. Immigrants............................................................................................................................... 20

6.3. Social distinction ..................................................................................................................... 21

6.4. Religion ................................................................................................................................... 22

6.5. Values ...................................................................................................................................... 24

6.6. Politics ..................................................................................................................................... 25

6.7. History ..................................................................................................................................... 26

6.8. Identity..................................................................................................................................... 27

6.9. Cultural contributions and commonalities .............................................................................. 27

6.10. Summary ............................................................................................................................... 28

7. Tentative recommendation for a cultural diplomacy campaign informed by SIT and the

research findings .............................................................................................................................. 29

7.1. Challenges ............................................................................................................................... 29

7.2. Targets ..................................................................................................................................... 29

7.3. Tactics ..................................................................................................................................... 30

8. Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 31

9. Sources .......................................................................................................................................... 33

10. Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 41

5

Abstract

In 2005, after over 40 years of waiting, Turkey was finally granted accession status by the European Union. However, the majority of EU-citizens, especially in the biggest member state Germany, are against a Turkish membership. This negative perception of

Turkey poses a threat to its EU-

by the member states and, ultimately, the opinion of their respective publics. This project explores the negative perception of Turkey in Germany and recommends appropriate measures to change it. At its core, it scrutinizes the perception of Turkey via a qualitative study in general and various aspects of the Turkish culture amongst a sample of 21 Germans (n=21). Drawing on public and cultural diplomacy theory it argues that culture. Thereby social identification theory is employed as a means to explicate the study findings in a framework that can inform such activities. The results show that the German respondents tend to view, inter alia, the main cultural differences between the EU- member states and Turkey in values, seen as derived from the Christian, respectively, Islamic religion. Further objections appear to be the perceived complexity and nationalistic attitude of Turkey, as well as the dominance of the (religious) community and the discrimination of women. A main factor reinforcing this view seems to be the influence of Turkish immigrants in Germany. The results could be tentative but suggestive input for further Turkish bilateral communication activities and more generalizable research in this still scarcely explored area.

1. Introduction

a historical record [... reaching back to the 1960s] it has become the longest application debate in the European Union that has been smouldering since Turkey was ultimately granted accession status in 2005 (Wuermeling, 2007). While both, the EU-member states governments and the European public are divided on this issue with an overall public opposition (EC, 2008) the

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