Over the last decade, pious Muslims all over the world have gone through contradictory transformations. Though public attention commonly rests on the turn toward violence, this book's stories of transformation to "moderate Islam" in a previously radical district in Istanbul exemplify another experience. In a shift away from distrust of the state to partial secularization, Islamists in Turkey transitioned through a process of absorption into existing power structures. With rich descriptions of life in the district of Sultanbeyli, this unique work investigates how religious activists organized,...

Over the last decade, pious Muslims all over the world have gone through contradictory transformations. Though public attention commonly rests on the turn toward violence, this book's stories of transformation to "moderate Islam" in a previously radical district in Istanbul exemplify another experience. In a shift away from distrust of the state to partial secularization, Islamists in Turkey transitioned through a process of absorption into existing power structures. With rich descriptions of life in the district of Sultanbeyli, this unique work investigates how religious activists organized,...

Going against the prevailing notion that political parties mirror divisions in society, Building Blocs argues that some parties actively structure those divisions. Using international case studies and Gramscian social theory, this volume demonstrates that political articulation is not the work of ambitious politicians or of the state, but primarily of parties. With one foot in society they also control the system of nominations, appointments, and elections-and as a consequence, the resources of state power.

Going against the prevailing notion that political parties mirror divisions in society, Building Blocs argues that some parties actively structure those divisions. Using international case studies and Gramscian social theory, this volume demonstrates that political articulation is not the work of ambitious politicians or of the state, but primarily of parties. With one foot in society they also control the system of nominations, appointments, and elections-and as a consequence, the resources of state power.

The brief rise and precipitous fall of "Islamic liberalism"

Just a few short years ago, the "Turkish Model" was being hailed across the world. The New York Times gushed that prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) had "effectively integrated Islam, democracy, and vibrant economics," making Turkey, according to the International Crisis Group, "the envy of the Arab world." And yet, a more recent CNN headline wondered if Erdogan had become a "dictator."

In this incisive analysis, Cihan Tugal argues that the problem with this model of...