At the time Tambar wrote The Reckoning of Pluralism, there was a brief
opening in Turkish political life during which ethnic and sectarian plurality
was both imaginable and debatable. This opening, initiated by the ruling AKP,
attempted to create an official conversation about the Alevis and the Kurds.
This move indicated that those who have state power were willing to accept
the suggestion that Turkish nationalism could encompass sectarian and ethnic
diversity. The opening, however, was brutally closed via the violent attacks
on peaceful protestors during the Gezi Park events of 2013. Turkish
politics changes rapidly, and what was a moment of optimism among those
who hope for a greater freedom of expression in Turkey may be revived.
American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences