The principle of laicism is one of the most controversial concepts in Turkey, and understanding of the principle has changed over the years. The main objective of this study is to identify the conditions that affected this change. In order to do this, one may examine the emergence of the principle of laicism in Western Europe. Changes in the dominant feudal mode of production and development of trade and capital accumulation weakened the Church’s claims over political power. Abolishment of the feudal structures and the political system, which was brought by the new mode of production, prepared the circumstances necessary for national sovereignty’s development. However, the adoption of laicism in Turkey took a different path. In the absence of the economic changes and the social base that caused the emergence of laicism in Western Europe, the principle was adopted during The Turkish Revolution. Despite the attempts of social and economic transformations, the required sub-structural transformations could not be implemented. As a result, the content and implementation of the principle heavily depended and still depend on the interferences of the political power. Thereupon, the principle of laicism gained a militant character which can be seen in the judgments of The Constitutional Court. However, this approach of the Court has changed recently. The Constitutional Court started to interpret the principle in a softer manner. This interpretation change caused debates over the transformation from a militant understanding to an understanding that might be called “passive laicism”.…
Keywords: Laicism, Secularism, Militant Laicism, Passive Laicism, National Sovereignty…
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