Addressing the Blurred Edges of Turkey’s Diaspora and Religious Policy: Diyanet Women Preachers sent to Europe

Since the early 2000s, an increasing number of female religious officers have been employed by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and regularly sent to European countries. Tasked with providing religious knowledge and moral support to women, their engagement epitomises Diyanet’s contribution to the AKP government’s wide-ranging international mission aimed at reaching Turkish citizens living abroad. To assess the significance of the activities organised for Turkish women migrated to Europe, the paper aims to answer the following questions: How does the ‘export’ of Diyanet female religious officers fit into Diyanet’s grip on international affairs? What is women’s contribution in this respect? And how do the activities of Diyanet women preachers in Europe reflect Turkey’s current diaspora policies? Drawing on ethnographic observation and interviews with the Diyanet female officers in Vienna and Stockholm mosques, this contribution concludes that Diyanet officers’ role and agency abroad is the result of a combination of two concomitant and interconnected factors The paper argues that female religious officers’ activities abroad should be included in a multifaceted reconfiguration of: i) the Diyanet’s long lasting international mission; ii) the role women play in the diffusion of religious knowledge and morality; iii) the boundaries between Turkey’s religious and diaspora policies

Masooda Bano and Hilary Kalmbach. (eds.), Women, Leadership, and Mosques: Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority, Leiden and Boston (Mass.), Brill, 2012, pp. xvii, 581.

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Turkey as the 'Liberator' of Muslims in Europe: The Circulation of Islamophobia as a Political Remittance

This article investigates how the fight against Islamophobia both clarifies and shapes the contours of Turkey's diaspora policy. It relies on the literature on political remittances and its value to diaspora studies by highlighting to what extent and how the commitment to tackling Islamophobia plays a role in Turkey's attempt to strengthen the link with 'its' diaspora. In this process, attention is devoted to how Turkish state institutions like the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) have framed Islamophobia as a religion-based problem and an "anti-Islamic project". In so doing, they bolster a dichotomic narrative between secular Europe and Muslim migrants. The empirical discussion also reveals the international dimension of the fight against Islamophobia and examines the Turkish government's motivation to proclaim itself the defender of (Turkish) Muslim communities in Europe. Thus, the official narrative that overlooks any systemic discriminations Turkish minorities are experiencing in everyday life has promoted a tutelary representation that might reinforce a paternalistic view of the diasporas as victims who need saving

Diaspora governance in times of COVID-19: The case of Turkish Diyanet in Italy

Since the Covid-19 emergency broke out, Turkish state institutions became crucial to govern diaspora communities facing lockdown measures and forced separation from the homeland. Being the first European country strongly affected by COVID-19 and where massive lockdown measures have been put in place, Italy is a relevant case to analyze. Retracing the scope and scale of the online activities organized during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper investigates how the Turkish state supported Turkey-originated population living in Italy. The analysis draws on interviews with Diyanet religious officers sent from Ankara to serve the Diyanet’s branches (DITIB) in different Italian cities and with the religious attaché employed in the Turkish Consulate in Milan who supervises them. The interviews have been corroborated with the collection of a vast visual material including brochures, videos and posters published on YouTube channel and the Facebook official pages of the DITIB cultural centers in Italy. Our data show that, during COVID-19 pandemic, online seminars enabled to strengthen Turkey's connection with the diaspora using the emergency situation as a starting point for enhancing family programs and fostering a Muslim-Turkish belonging in any aspect of life

Diaspora governance in times of COVID-19: The case of Turkish Diyanet in Italy

Since the Covid-19 emergency broke out, Turkish state institutions became crucial to govern diaspora communities facing lockdown measures and forced separation from the homeland. Being the first European country strongly affected by COVID-19 and where massive lockdown measures have been put in place, Italy is a relevant case to analyze. Retracing the scope and scale of the online activities organized during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper investigates how the Turkish state supported Turkey-originated population living in Italy. The analysis draws on interviews with Diyanet religious officers sent from Ankara to serve the Diyanet’s branches (DITIB) in different Italian cities and with the religious attaché employed in the Turkish Consulate in Milan who supervises them. The interviews have been corroborated with the collection of a vast visual material including brochures, videos and posters published on YouTube channel and the Facebook official pages of the DITIB cultural centers in Italy. Our data show that, during COVID-19 pandemic, online seminars enabled to strengthen Turkey's connection with the diaspora using the emergency situation as a starting point for enhancing family programs and fostering a Muslim-Turkish belonging in any aspect of life

Annali storici di Principato Citra, A. 7, n. 1.1 (2009)

A. 7, n. 1.1 (2009): G. Guardia, Editoriale, P. 3 ; R. Salati, Le ambre "tipo Roscigno”, P. 5 ; E. Bianco, La viabilità medievale nel Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano. Il territorio del Comune di Gioi, P. 33 ; D. Petrone, Le case-torri nel territorio ebolitano, P. 51 ; A. Capano, Pollica e i suoi casali nel Catasto provvisorio del 1815. Il Sessantotto a Salerno. In margine ad un Convegno e ad un libro, P. 69 ; Francesco Sofia, Il '68: alcune riflessioni, P. 95 ; G. Acocella, Un '68 "cattolico"? P. 104 ; P. Cantillo, La profezia di una società estetica, P. 108 ; G. Foscari, Il '68, P. 112 ; M. La Via, Dal mito degli anni '60 alla utopie del '68, P. 113 ; P. Lucia, Miti, utopie, speranze di una generazione, P. 117 ; L. Marinucci, Donne, istituzioni, movimenti civili: una questione ancora attuale. La Mostra "Le frodi alimentari nella provincia di Salerno fra '800 e '900" tenutasi a Salerno il 16 ottobre 2008, a cura di Caterina Aliberti e Francesco Innnella, P. 121 ; C. Aliberti - F. Innella, La Mostra "Le frodi alimentari nella Provincia di Salerno tra Ottocento e Novecento", P. 126 ; I. Ascione, Le frodi alimentari nella provincia di Salerno fra Ottocento e Novecento, P. 128 ; A. Vacca, Inganni cibici, P. 131 ; V. Ferrara, Le attività operative del Comando Carabinieri Politiche Agricole e Alimentari e del Nucleo Antifrodi Carabinieri di Salerno. Il XIV Festival "Linea d'ombra" - Festival culture giovani, P. 134 ; P. D'Antonio, Caos: tra Filosofia, Scienza e Arte, P. 150 ; S. Metetich, Al caos, al caos! Così è (se vi piace), P. 151 ; P. Simone Di Chiara, Il caos, P. 153 ; F.M. Iandiorio, M. Autuori, P.S. Di Chiara, Il caos della natura fra letteratura e percezione, P. 154 ; S. Maritato, D. Di Stefano, A. Di Lauro, M. Massa, Caos e/è cinema, P. 156 ; F. Bonifacio, M. Talento, A. Catoio, Obiettivo caotico, P. 158 ; M. Radano, Per una "memoria" del territorio. Le celebrazioni per il Millenario di Guarrazzano di Stella Cilento (1009-2009), P. 160

Claiming for Moral Superiority while Bargaining with Mobility: Turkey-EU Migration Diplomacy in the post-2016 Euro-Mediterranean space

The article investigates the revitalization of the EU-Turkey migration diplomacy in the light of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement. The Statement, which was aimed at stemming irregular migrations directed to the EU, contributed to strengthen the image of Turkey as a champion in hosting Syrian refugees and a trusted gatekeeper tasked with the control of the EU external borders. How has the management of a humanitarian crisis and massive migration flows affected post 2016 Turkey-EU migration diplomacy? The article contends that Turkey’s claim for moral superiority on the management of refugees despite the material weakness vis-à-vis the West has been employed to galvanize a coercive migration diplomacy and redefine Turkish approach to the EU migration regime. Keywords: Migration Diplomacy, Turkey, EU migration regime, Syrian refugees, transit migratio