Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Yakin Donem Turkiye Arastirmalari, cilt.2025, sa.47, ss.1-28, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
Over the past thirty years, conservatives-frequently defined by their religious identities-have undergone both ideological and sociological transformation, becoming a group often discussed within academic and intellectual circles. This study theoretically compares the ideological foundations of conservatism with Islamism and is based on qualitative research employing an interpretive methodological approach, utilizing the “in-depth interview” technique. A total of eight individuals were interviewed, and the research explores their experiences with modernization, gender relations, the meaning and impact of the February 28 process, individualization, and secularization. These themes are examined to better understand the broader significance of the transformation they have experienced. The participants in this study were highly educated, middle-aged individuals, either directly or indirectly affiliated with the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), and characterized by their openness to critical thinking and their willingness to question the conservative social environment they inhabit-referred to in their own words as “the neighborhood.” The study aims to critically interpret the transformation experienced by what is often described as the “new middle class conservatives” over the last three decades, by drawing on field data to evaluate this shift through both its positive and negative aspects from the perspective of the participants themselves.