Etnik kimlik ve siyasi katılım: Uzunyayla Çerkesleri örneği

This study is an attempt to understand and explain Circassian political participation in primarily Uzunyayla region and in Turkey. The departure point is the 2011 general elections, in which the ultra Turkish nationalist MHP managed to increase its vote share in Uzunyayla more than 100 percent compared to the previous general election. The study includes the analysis of six general elections in terms of Circassian political participation between 1991 and 2011. Since the analysis of Circassian political participation in Turkey remains limited with associational activities of them, such analysis of voting behavior is unique in the literature. Along with the potential impact of the Democratic Opening Process, the effect of the nomination of a Circassian candidate by the MHP, and the economic well-being are evaluated within the context of 2011 election results in Uzunyayla. In addition to historical voting behavior in Uzunyayla, election results in Circassian villages of Düzce and Sakarya are scrutinized as well. The nomination of a co-ethnic candidate is demonstrated to have a significant effect on Circassian voting behavior.