Can Islamism, as is often claimed, truly unite Muslim Turks and Kurds? This is a volatile and exciting time for a country whose long history has been characterized by dramatic power play. Evolving out of two years of fieldwork in Istanbul, this book examines the fragmenting Islamist political movement in Turkey. As Turkey emerges from a repressive modernizing project, various political identities are emerging and competing for influence. The Islamist movement celebrates the failure of Western liberalism in Turkey and the return of politics based on Muslim ideals. However, this vision is threatened by Kurdish nationalism and the country's chequered past.Is Islamist multiculturalism even possible? The ethnic tensions surfacing in Turkey beg the question whether the Muslim Turks and Kurds can find common ground in religion. The author argues that such unification depends fundamentally upon the flexibility of the rationale behind the Islamist movement's struggle.

Author Biography: Chris Houston is Senior Research Assistant and Co-ordinating Tutor in Sociology, La Trobe University.