Membership process of the Customs Union as an example of Eurosceptism in Turkey

The European image in Turkish modernization shows duality. Europe, which is an example of the level of civilization that needs to be reached in this dilemma, is also perceived as a threat to the social memory. Europe has been a model for administrative, constitutional and many reforms in Turkish modernization. But it was also perceived as the reason why modernization was experienced intertwined with dependence on Europe and the West in general. This intellectual legacy from the Ottoman Empire was clarified with the War of Independence and consolidated in the social memory. The continuity of the dual image has been instrumental in making anti-Europeanism a tradition in Turkey. One of the exemplary cases where this tradition can be examined is the membership of the Customs Union. The debates in Turkish politics during the period of membership provide unique examples to examine the extent to which the emphasis on the negative side of the dual image of Europe has increased.Discussions, in which the common reactions given at that time came to the fore, stated that the membership of the Customs Union was not only an economic element of EU-Turkey relations; It shows that it is critically important to show the historical continuity and the emergence of latent anti-Europeanism in Turkey. Keywords: Non-Western Modernization, Turkish Modernization, European Union, Anti- Europeanism, Euroscepticism, Customs Union.