Being a civil society employee in Turkey after 2000: The case of humanitarian aid organizations

This dissertation investigates the impact of neoliberal regulations on civil society studies and the labor processes of employees in line with the data obtained through the narratives and working experiences of individuals who have experience working in non-governmental organizations operating in the field of humanitarian aid. In this framework, it first discusses the meanings of the concept of civil society in the historical process and how these meanings have been used in the history of political thought. In the theoretical framework established by the discussions on neoliberalism, the concept of NGOization and current civil society debates are discussed, accompanied by discussions on immaterial labor and precariatization. In line with these discussions, the working experiences of individuals working in the field of civil society were analyzed. It is aimed to see how civil society workers working in this field position the bond they establish with the group they aim to benefit and how they position the community expected to benefit within the "project" cycle. On the other hand, this thesis is a study that examines the civil society debates in Turkey and a journey of non-governmental organizations from past to present, but it also follows a historical path. It also draws attention to a current debate by examining the relationship between donors, projects, and organizations in the field of civil society, which is a new field of study today. Keywords civil society, non-governmental organizations, neoliberalism, immaterial labor, precariat, NGO, NGOization