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The Prospects of Civic Alliance: New Civic Activists Acting Together with Civil Society Organizations

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations volume 30, pages 289–299 (2019)Cite this article

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

  1. See http://www.mimarist.org/emek-sinemasi-davasiyla-ilgili-belgeler/ for legal documents on Emek Theater (in Turkish).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science and International Relations, Bahçeşehir University, Çırağan Caddesi Osmanpaşa Mektebi Sokak No: 4 - 6 Beşiktaş, Istanbul, 34353, Turkey

    Özge Zihnioğlu

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  1. Özge Zihnioğlu
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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

Keywords

  • Civic activism
  • Civil society organizations
  • Alliances
  • Turkey
  • Gezi protests