THE ABSTRACTS

THE TEST OF THE MODERN STATE WITH CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Yılmaz ÇOLAK

The recent debates on modern democratic state turn around the integration and accommodation of cultural diversity into democratic 'national' politics. This stems from age-old link between state and (national) culture set up by nationalist policies. Rival identities and cultures began to question that link by claiming cultural rights and to be represented as they are. The result is the crisis of modern (liberal) democratic state and polity, although it could manage to meet previous political, economic and social claims. Now we are facing to the fact that the state has to change and reshape its relations with culture and so with differences in society.

Keywords: Modern state, culture, nationalism, democracy, cultural diversity.

A CRITICAL REFLECTION ON THE CONCEPT OF THE STATE IN THE CONSERVATIVE THOUGHT

Fatih DUMAN

This study focuses on the meaning of the concept of ‘the S/state’ in the con­servative thought. Especially the ‘modern state’ is very important in terms of the historical context of conservatism. This is because conservatism came into being as a reaction against the increasing and centralizing power of the modern state. Nevermore the conservative thought consists of the different perceptions of the state. Accordingly it’s possible to find the different inter­pretations about the issues as the origin, nature/essence, functions and limits of the state in the conservative thought. In this study, firstly the concept of the state and especially  the ‘modern state’ will be explained, secondly the viewpoint of conservative thought regarding the state will analyzed criti­cally in the context of specific fundamental issues: How can we explain the nature of the state? How can we limit the power of modern sovereign state? What are the political conclusions of the different two concepts of the ‘S/state’? Does the fear against the masses or majority compromise with the principle of democracy and freedom?

Keywords: Modern state, the nature of the state, the limits of the state, tran­scendental State/Society, the state as a political apparatus, conservatism, in­termediate associations

AGAINST STATE VERSUS CIVIL SOCIETY DYAD: STATE PERSE SIVIL SOCIETY

 Hayrettin ÖZLER

In one contemporary and prominent perception, the state and society are two distinct spaces; between them there is a dynamic, well-balanced and in­stitutional interaction, namely democracy. In this interaction spaces such as political (law, jurisdiction and hierarchy), economic (competition and ex­change), and social (conflict, sharing, identity, cooperation, trust and loyalty) supposed to have distinct moral principles and practices. This acknowledg­ment implies that these spaces have no organic but a functional link. Politi­cal process is seen as a mechanical system that ingesting societal demands to make legislation and policies which are checked by an independent judi­ciary. Such a distinction between state and society is also seen within civil society discourses as a pre quo none against totalitarian and despotic gov­ernments. As if the distinction between the state and the church is applied to and replaced by the state-society distinction. This paper aims at questioning and criticizing this distinction. This criticism will focus on three arguments. First, the state-society distinction is not realistic and not at the core of any mainstream political theory. Second, this distinction has been tried out within the context of nation state yet resulted in totalitarian, authoritarian or interventionist state. This heavy existence of the state wears out the place and contribution of the individual within the polity. Finally, conceiving the state and society as two distinct paradigms leaves the state with a legitimacy crisis and makes governance inscrutable.

Keywords: State, civil society, political thoughts, state-civil society divergence.

INVISIBLE HAND: ROBERT NOZICK AND MINIMAL STATE

M. Hanifi MACİT

With the subject of the definition of state and of what is a state has been a matter interested by thinkers since ancient times, there is no consensus over how it has occurred and how it must be. Is state ideal? Or is it a mean or a bandit? These questions have widely argued and these different approaches have become focus of sharp arguments. Although state is widely accepted as a means, the arguments of what are its borders, legality and source is still keeping its actuality. We are going to handle Robert Nozick who looks this actual argument with liberal concept and who made competent assessments on source, legality and borders of state

Keywords: Robert Nozick, minimal state, invisible hand, spontenaus order, social agreement,

ISLAM, ISLAMISTS and STATE

Hasan ŞEN

It is argued that there is a deep-rooted historical relationship between Islam and state. The political formation of Islam as a religion has played an im­portant role after its emergence. That is while the state and politics have formed the subject of religion. Therefore, related to political formation of the Islam has created political traditions that are still affected. This study focuses on relations between state and Islam. Thus, the established political tradi­tions in Islamic world will be discussed. Additionally, emergence conditions of the Islam and political theology of shaped by Islam will be elaborated. Fi­nally, the perception of the state by Islamists will be analyzed.

Keywords: Islam, religion, state, politic theology, Islamists, power, secularism.

“TIME”LESS—“PLACE”LESS LIVING CONDITIONS and 3D MODERNNESS

Mevlüt ÖZBEN

The “time”less and “place”less living conditions of 3D modernness revealed by 21^st century have significant importance on the presentation of beginning of a new process arguing the necessity of protection of polymorphism, mul­tivocality and ‘one’s rights that are considered more valuable than the whole, no matter what the conditions are; rather than the importance of “time” and “place” in the aforementioned period and the origination of so many things in the inspection of “time” and “place” in the 19^th century’s being a period in which uniformity monologism and being one and whole are taken normally. In this study, theoretical fiction, which we conceptual­ized as 3D modernness, is discussed with the purpose of comparing the pe­riod of classic modernness with today’s modern world.

Keywords: 3D modernness, time, place, modernization

EXAMPLE OF AN INTERMEDIATE FORM IN TURKEY: COMMUNITY DORMITORIES

Nuray KARACA

When the constant changes in every layer of the society is taken into consid­eration, the explanations which one based on the studies which are carried out in order to determine the changes of the religious practices in our society are very important. In society, when change is in the agenda new channels and institutions emerge. When the religious practices and the beliefs of the people expose to a change, new forms comes into existence. As regards to the validation of these forms in the society, education is an important social mobility channel. This situation produces a new patronage relationship in our society. This study aims at studying a new form of patronage relation­ship; the community dormitories as a sample intermediate-form by using the data available

Keywords: Community, intermediate-form, sociology, society, patronage.

THE CULTURAL GUERILLAS OF TWENTIETH CENTURY: THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL

Bengül GÜNGÖRMEZ

The aim of the present article is to focus on the predecessors of the Frankfurt School, particularly, Hegel, Marx, Weber and Gramsci and understand their contributions to critical theory in general. Following or criticizing the thoughts of these thinkers, the thinkers of Frankfurt School attempted to overcome limits of positivism, determinism and materialism in criticizing social phenomenon in the social sciences overall. They occupied with not only analysis of economy and class but also analysis of the Western culture as a culture of domination, namely culture industry. They emphasized not historical laws but cultural and historical dimensions and human’s meaning­ful action in social theory.

Keywords: Frankfurt School, critique, culture, human’s meaningful action.