Mehmet Kalyoncu - Building Civil Society in Ethno-Religiously Fractured Communities

Civil society is generally associated with the presence of voluntary, non-governmental civic and social organizations, which are run by informed citizens and assume responsibility for monitoring state bodies and operations, as well as mobilizing available resources to maintain order and efficiency in the functioning of both state and society. But, what if the local conditions prevent the formation of such voluntary organizations - if the social landscape is characterized by communal conflicts stemming from deeply entrenched ethno-religious prejudices. The analysis of the Gulen-inspired civil society initiatives both in southeast Turkey and abroad suggests that such initiatives have to a certain degree been successful in bringing different ethno-religious communities together as a necessary first step towards civil society: common problems facing the different ethno-religious groups are identified, and then solid serviced to address those problems are provided through collaborative efforts of those groups. In this way, the social potential of those groups is mobilized and channeled to achieving shared goals, which in turn enriches the society as a whole, and consolidates peace.

Bio: Mehmet Kalyoncu is an independent political analyst. He has published articles in academic journals and op-ed pieces in newspapers and online publications. His writing has appeared in Foreign Policy Magazine, Balkanalysis, Caspian Business News, Zaman US Daily, Today's Zaman, Zinda Magazine, PINR, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, Journal of Central Asia and the Caucasus, and Centro Argentino de Estudios Internacionales. His research interests include Turkish foreign policy, ethno-religious politics, civil society, and social development in countries rich in natural resources. Kalyoncu authored A Civilian Response to Ethno-Religious Conflict: Gulen Movement in Southeast Turkey (The Light, 2008). He holds a M.S. in Management & Administrative Sciences from University of Texas at Dallas and a M.A. in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies from Georgetown University.

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