The New Turkey: The Quiet Revolution on the Edge of Europe [Paperback]

Chris Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2006

Turkey is a country in a state of flux. In the last few years, far-reaching political and economic reforms have swept away much of the old order that ruled the country for so long. Pressure for change has come from ordinary people; it has also been motivated by the dominant issue of Turkish political life—the long pursuit of membership in the European Union. And yet Turkey remains a mystery to many outsiders, a complex country hard to fathom: secular and Muslim, Western and Eastern, democratic and authoritarian.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's the neoconservative dream come true: a Muslim country in the Middle East that's rapidly transforming into a liberal democracy with a thriving market economy that builds half of Europe's television sets. However, it wasn't American military intervention that produced this miracle, but a combination of European Union economic incentives and moderate Islam. In this engaging, hopeful survey, BBC correspondent Morris paints Turkey as a study in contradictions. A rabidly secular military establishment spars with Islamic parties that champion democracy and human rights; cosmopolitan cities where miniskirts abound and head scarves are few and far between are surrounded by an almost feudal countryside where honor killings are routine. At the center of these upheavals is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has pushed through a whirlwind of progressive reforms while trying to appease his Islamist constituents with proposals to outlaw adultery. Morris is captivated with Turkey's landscape and people, rendered in vivid reportage, but he's clear-eyed about its festering conflict with the Kurdish minority, pervasive corruption and the vast economic problems the country faces. The result is an illuminating look at one of the world's more interesting societies that stands many assumptions about religion, politics and development on their heads. (Feb.)
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Review

"Written in a witty, concise style."  —Choice

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Granta UK (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862078653
• ISBN-13: 978-1862078659
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good political and social overview, June 19, 2008

By 

David J. Powell (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Turkey: The Quiet Revolution on the Edge of Europe (Paperback)

For serious travelers to Turkey, this is an excellent history of, and commentary on past and present Turkey. As Americans, when we travel abroad, we know so little of the history, social life, politics, and culture of the countries we visit. This book prepares the serious traveler to know the background of Turkey. Although the history can be arduous reading at times, the background to current day Turkey is essential. It would like someone coming to America for the first time and unknowing of who George Washington or Abraham Lincoln were. Although they might enjoy the sites, it would be impossible for them to understand why we have monuments in our capital city for these men who formed our country. So too, we need to know about Turkey's founding and background.