Abstract
A new form of civic activism is taking root in many countries, which diverge from traditional civic actors with their structural and membership patterns. This article focuses on the relationship between the new and the traditional civic actors in Turkey, investigates the alliances established between them and discusses how these alliances contribute to civic activism. The discussions in this article are informed by existing conceptual debate in the literature on alliances. This article contributes to this literature by showing how the respective strengths of the new and the traditional activists complement each other. New civic activists’ closer ties to grassroots and their flexible organizational structure allow for quick reaction, more visibility and legitimacy. Traditional civic actors complement this with their stable structure that enables them to sustain their campaigns, engage in and follow up the legal struggles and act as a transmission belt to relations with public institutions and governance.
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Notes
See http://www.mimarist.org/emek-sinemasi-davasiyla-ilgili-belgeler/ for legal documents on Emek Theater (in Turkish).
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Zihnioğlu, Ö. The Prospects of Civic Alliance: New Civic Activists Acting Together with Civil Society Organizations. Voluntas 30, 289–299 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-018-0032-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-018-0032-9