The bourgeoisie and moderation: The case of political İslam and the Kurdish question in Turkey

The dominant Kurdish movement and political Islam in Turkey have displayed different patterns, which is also visible in two important political parties these movements have produced. While the pro-Kurd DTP has failed to integrate into the mainstream Turkish politics and moderate its discourse and goals, the Islamist AKP has shown a willingness to be a part of mainstream politics and tried to prove their difference from radical wings of political Islam. This paper is an attempt to explain this variance by investigating a possible role of the bourgeoisie in respective political parties. I argue that the bourgeoisie can be moderating force under certain conditions; thus, transforming the radical movements if it is allowed to play central roles. In addition, I suggest that the presence of such a class within the leader cadre of the AKP might be one of the reasons of its moderate stance whereas the lack of such a class within the DTP might have contributed to the stalemate in the Kurdish question.