Problematising the Politics of Recognition and Its Impact on Conviviality: Fixing Ambiguity, Losing Heterogeneity

This chapter explores the impact of politics of recognition on conviviality by focusing on two non-recognised groups: The Alevis and the Kurds, in the ways in which they perceived the AKP’s democratisation packages and articulated whether or what kind of recognition they wanted. The politics of recognition reinforced a discourse of coexistence where the non-recognised Alevis felt the need to stress their “difference,” separate their syncretic religious practices into “Sunni and Alevi components.” While Alevis were vocal in discussing politics of recognition by organising panels and memorials, the Kurdish Burgazlı were rather silent. They stressed their similarities with Sunni Turks rather than articulating their differences, distanced themselves from the ideology of the PKK and articulated that their migration from southeastern Turkey was more due to financial and family problems than the Kurdish insurgency.