Book Talk: “The Rise and Relapse of European Human Rights in Turkey” Tuğba Bayar
Date and Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:30 p.m.
Venue: A130 Seminar Room, FEASS
Book Abstract
“This book examines the trajectory of human rights in Turkey under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2002 to 2024 within the broader context of EU–Turkey relations. It traces Turkey’s shift from early democratic reforms aligned with EU accession goals to a period of democratic backsliding marked by centralization of power and repression. Adopting a neo-Gramscian lens, the book analyzes how EU conditionality initially fostered reform but ultimately failed to anchor liberal norms, revealing a contested hegemonic relationship. Turkey’s evolution—from internalizing to resisting EU-promoted norms—is interpreted as a transition from passive norm transmission to the construction of a counter-hegemonic project. The study draws on case studies across legal reforms, governance practices, and key political events to explore how domestic and international dynamics interact in shaping human rights outcomes. It offers new insights into the fragility of normative power and the complexity of sovereignty, legitimacy, and resistance in international human rights regimes.”
Short Bio
Tuğba Bayar is a Lecturer in the International Relations Department at İ.D. Bilkent University. She holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany. Her research centers on international regimes, international law, human rights, and international cooperation, with a regional focus on the Middle East—particularly Iran. Dr. Bayar’s work has appeared in journals such as All Azimuth, Turkish Studies, Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, and Global Governance. She has received several prestigious research grants, including the TÜBİTAK 3501 Career Development Grant for her project on unilateral withdrawals from multilateral treaties, the European Commission’s Jean Monnet Module Grant for her work on international and European human rights protection, and the TÜBİTAK 1001 Grant for her ongoing research on the compliance of right-wing populist governments with international treaty regimes.The book, “The Rise and Relapse of European Human Rights in Turkey,” is supported by a Jean Monnet Module Grant on European and International Protection of Human Rights.