The importance of Turkey rests on its special strategic position and, increasingly, on its growing economic power. Although Turkey has begun to play its part in the arena of European affairs, its national and local institutions and issues are little understood. Turkey’s recent history has appeared to fluctuate between tentative democracy and martial rule dependent upon the balance of power within the military and bureaucracy. “Turkish State and Turkish Society” examines the causes and effects of the tension between Turkey’s formal constitution and the actual way power is exercised in society. Approaching the concept of power from perspectives as diverse as that of Kurdish tribesmen, urban feminists, soldiers, and national and local administrators, the book provides an expansive picture of Turkish society.