Türkiye’s Case of 15 July: State of Exception and Authoritarian Statism as Modes of Governance

Abstract

This study examines authoritarianism in Türkiye in the aftermath of the coup attempt on 15 July 2016. The primary aim is to evaluate the governance practices that emerged in Türkiye following the coup attempt within the conceptual framework of “state of exception” and “authoritarian statism”. Accordingly, it presents and discusses the conceptualisations of two influential scholars. It asks, “To what extent are the governance practices in Türkiye after 15 July close to Agamben’s state of exception or Poulantzas’s authoritarian statism?” Methodologically, this study combines a single case study with a conceptual-comparative analysis. In doing so, it contributes to the field by applying theoretical concepts to an empirical event. Thanks to this methodological framework, the study brings together two theories, based on different ontological and epistemological traditions, on a common analytical level. Authoritarianism in Türkiye is not merely a process linked to short-term political crises; it is intertwined with the historical and political context of the reshaping of state-capital relations, social opposition, security policies, and institutional structures. Thus, the main outcome is that the regime transformation in Türkiye is a hybrid form of authoritarianism situated at the intersection of these two approaches; it possesses a multi-layered structure in which the state of exception has become permanent, and the institutional structure of the state apparatus has been rebuilt in favour of the executive. Hence, it offers a conceptual proposal, “exceptional-authoritarian statism”, as an analytical category to explain this transformation.

Keywords

• State of exception
• Authoritarian statism
• Agamben
• Poulantzas
• 15 July coup attempt
• State of emergency

Türkiye’nin 15 Temmuz Vakası: Yönetişim Biçimleri Olarak Olağanüstü Hal ve Otoriter Devletçilik

Abstract

Bu çalışma, 15 Temmuz 2016 darbe girişiminin ardından Türkiye'de otoriterliği incelemektedir. Temel amaç, darbe girişiminin ardından Türkiye'de ortaya çıkan yönetişim uygulamalarını "istisna hâli" ve "otoriter devletçilik" kavramsal çerçevesi içinde değerlendirmektir. Dolayısıyla, iki etkili akademisyenin kavramlaştırmalarını sunar ve tartışır. "15 Temmuz sonrası Türkiye'deki yönetişim uygulamaları, Agamben'in istisna hâli kavramına veya Poulantzas'ın otoriter devletçilik kavramına ne ölçüde yakındır?" sorusunu sorar. Metodolojik olarak, bu çalışma tek bir vaka çalışmasını kavramsal-karşılaştırmalı bir analizle birleştirir. Böylelikle, teorik kavramları ampirik bir olaya uygulayarak alana katkı sağlar. Bu metodolojik çerçeve sayesinde, çalışma farklı ontolojik ve epistemolojik geleneklere dayanan iki teoriyi ortak bir analitik düzeyde bir araya getirmektedir. Türkiye'deki otoriterlik, yalnızca kısa vadeli siyasi krizlerle bağlantılı bir süreç değildir; devlet-sermaye ilişkilerinin yeniden şekillenmesi, toplumsal muhalefet, güvenlik politikaları ve kurumsal yapılar gibi tarihsel ve siyasi bağlamla iç içe geçmiştir. Dolayısıyla, ana sonuç, Türkiye'deki rejim dönüşümünün bu iki yaklaşımın kesişiminde yer alan melez bir otoriterlik biçimi olduğu; olağanüstü halin kalıcı hale geldiği ve devlet aygıtının kurumsal yapısının yürütme lehine yeniden inşa edildiği çok katmanlı bir yapıya sahip olduğu yönündedir. Bu nedenle, bu dönüşümü açıklamak için analitik bir kategori olarak "istisnaî-otoriter devletçilik" üzerinden kavramsal bir öneri getirmektedir.

Keywords

• İstisna hali
• Otoriter devletçilik
• Agamben
• Poulantzas
• 15 Temmuz darbe girişimi
• Olağanüstü hâl

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