EU democracy promotion and governmentality: Turkey and Beyond

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Table of Contents -- List of tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- List of abbreviations -- 1. Introduction: On EU democracy promotion, the question of depoliticisation, and the case of Turkey -- The argument on EU civil society funding, governmentality and depoliticisation -- The case of Turkey and EU civil society funding -- A limited view on civil society in Turkey -- Outline of chapters -- 2. (De)politicisation, (neo-)liberal governmentality, and hegemonic struggles -- What is depoliticisation? -- The EU context: neo-functionalism, economic and legal liberalism, or neo-liberal governmentality -- (Neo-)liberal governmentality and depoliticisation -- Context matters: hegemonic struggles and (de)politicisation -- Methodology and empirical material -- Note -- 3. The (neo-)liberal governmentality of EU civil society programs -- Liberal rationalities in EU civil society programs -- Neo-liberal rationalities in EU civil society programs -- Conclusions -- Note -- 4. The (de)politicisation of women's rights organisations in a complex context -- Discursive struggles over women's rights -- The (de)politicised work of women's rights organisations -- Conclusions -- Notes -- 5. (De)politicising LGBT rights organisations and the effects of visibility -- Discursive struggles over LGBT rights -- The (de)politicised work of LGBT rights organisations -- Conclusions -- 6. The (de)politicisation of the securitised Kurdish rights issue -- Discursive struggles over the Kurdish issue -- The (de)politicised work of Kurdish rights organisations -- Conclusions -- 7. Conclusions -- The promise of civil society funding and the dangers of depoliticisation -- Governmentality in the larger EU context -- Bibliography -- Index.

Introduction : on EU democracy promotion, the question of depoliticisation, and the case of Turkey -- (De)politicisation, (neo-)liberal governmentality, and hegemonic struggles -- The (neo-)liberal governmentality of EU civil society programs -- The (de)politicisation of women's rights organisations in a complex context -- (De)politicising LGBT rights organisations and the effects of visibility -- The (de)politicisisation of the securitised Kurdish rights issue -- Conclusions.

"This volume draws on a Foucauldian understanding of governmentality to explore how EU civil society funding policies depoliticise civil society organisations. It questions whether international civil society funding always depoliticises civil society organisations, as the literature on governmentality and international civil society policies argues. The author examines how the liberal and neo-liberal rationalities of EU funding have both politicising and depoliticising effects on the human rights organisations funded, and demonstrates that whether the effects help or prevent the politicisation of human rights depends on how legitimate or contested the issue is domestically and how the civil society organisations act in this political context. These themes are explored through an in-depth analysis of the case of Turkey and EU funding of organisations working in the fields of women, LGBT and Kurdish rights. Unpacking liberal and neo-liberal governmentality in EU democracy promotion and civil society funding, this insightful contribution to the literature will be of interest to scholars of International Relations, Middle East Studies, European Studies and democracy promotion"--