How Turkish Parties Organise: Political Socialisation of Young Members in the JDP and the RPP

The main purpose of this paper, which concentrates on the youth organizations of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) and the Republican People’s Party (RPP) of Turkey, is to understand the socialization process and the role of the party organization in this process. The data are collected from in-depth interviews made with young party members, executives of the youth organizations and local party executives. Youth organization of a party is a place where young members adopt the written and unwritten rules, norms and values of the party. They enter into or form new networks to become an essential member of the party. In this context, the paper analyzes the political socialization of young AKP and CHP members; the formal and informal processes that are crucial in the formation of the party identity; and how the AKP and the CHP impose their common values, norms and goals to their new members.