|
Article Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 2013 Historical Legacies, Modern Conflicts: State Consolidation and Religious Pluralism in Greece and Turkey |
Through a comparative study of state consolidation processes and the acceptance of religious tolerance in Greece and Turkey, this piece shows that there is often a direct link between strategies of state building, the creation of state identities, and contemporary acceptance of pluralistic norms regarding religious tolerance. Tracing early examples through to the present, the paper demonstrates that state elites privileged religious categories over potential alternatives in the state consolidation process. I argue that, as a result, religious identity markers have assumed a privileged and almost 'untouchable' position in both the Greek and Turkish national narratives, making issues of religious tolerance and pluralism sensitive focal points in contemporary debates over Europeanizing reforms and religion-state relations in times of crisis.
Keywords: Religion; Government and Politics; Power and Influence; Turkey; Greece;
Fabbe, Kristin. "Historical Legacies, Modern Conflicts: State Consolidation and Religious Pluralism in Greece and Turkey." Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 13, no. 3 (2013): 435–453.
