Conservative sociality and religion: The case of Turkish political actors

In this study, conservatism is examined both as an attitude and a political ideology. In this context, the fundamental principles of conservatism were explored among the political actors within the People's Alliance and the Nation Alliance, aiming to uncover the core tenets of Turkish conservatism. It was observed that political parties in the Nation Alliance, such as CHP, DEVA, and İYİ Party, differed in their views on religion from the parties in the People's Alliance. It was understood that the AK Party, a member of the People's Alliance, and the Saadet Party, a member of the Nation Alliance, exhibited views closely integrated with religion in various domains. Furthermore, it was noted that all parties displayed overlapping characteristics between the fundamental tenets of conservatism and religion. Within this framework, the study aims to associate conservative thought with the institution of religion in Turkey. According to the information obtained, it was determined that all political representatives in Turkey had elements of cultural conservatism. The study was constructed using an interpretive approach and symbolic interactionist theories. Additionally, the theoretical section of the study employed the historical documentation method, while the practical section favored the qualitative method with in-depth interviews. The study was analyzed within this framework using text analysis techniques.