This book examines Turkey’s ethno-religious activism and power-related political strategies in the Balkans between 2002 and 2020, the period under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), to determine the scopes of its activities in the region.
Ahmet Erdi Öztürk illuminates an often-neglected aspect of Turkey’s relations with its Balkan neighbours that emerged as a result of the much discussed ‘authoritarian turn’ – a broader shift in Turkish domestic and foreign policy from a realist-secular to a Sunni Islamic orientation with ethno-nationalist policies.
Öztürk draws on personal testimonies given by both Turkish and non-Turkish, Muslim and non-Muslim interviewees in three country cases: Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania. The findings shed light on contemporary issues surrounding the continuous redefinition of Turkish secularism under the AKP rule and the emergence of a new Muslim elite in Turkey.

Not only military and political power, but also social and economic innovations came to the Balkans with Ottoman Empire. The immigration of Turkish people from Anatolia into the conquered lands was one of the Ottoman Empire strategies in the Balkans. The first planned settlement policies were implemented to support the conquests in the Balkans especially during the establishment and development periods. The developments in 18th century caused social and economics dislocation in the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire in several ways. There are 7 chapter texts in this book. They are about the Balkan demographic and economic structure of the Ottoman Empire period.