Türkiye'de vatandaşlığın dönüşümü: Sivil toplum kuruluşlarında aktif vatandaşlığın öğrenimi

This research analyzes whether and how participation in civil society organizations (CSO) in Turkey develops active citizenship practices. Drawing on civil society, citizenship and civic education literatures, and with a focus on Turkey, the civil society organization is studied as a potential site for the learning and practice of active citizenship. This thesis develops an original conceptualization of active citizenship based on three dimensions: civic action, social cohesion and self-actualization. Civic action is the will and ability to take action and engage in activities that contribute to the betterment of the community. Social cohesion entails development of a sense of solidarity and commitment to community and increased exposure to diversity. Self-actualization is the development of agency through empowerment and development of self. This research reveals processes that link CSO participation to the development of the three dimensions of active citizenship. The research design is a comparative case study in which 6 CSOs in Turkey are studied in depth. The analysis is based on a systematic comparison of CSOs that vary on three discursive and structural attributes which are expected to affect participation. The first attribute distinguishes CSOs based on their employment of a rights versus obligations based discourse. The second attribute is a structural distinction between membership and volunteer based CSOs. And finally, CSOs are distinguished based on the types of activities they utilize to implement their objectives. Data is collected through semi structured interviews conducted with 44 CSO members and volunteers in Istanbul.