The AKP Government’s Assault on the Gülen Movement: A Perspective on the Deconstruction of a Multi-Sectorial Religious Actor on an Authoritarian Context

The Gülen Movement is a Turkish originated-Muslim network that was never directly inserted in the political field but was known for its multi-sectorial insertion in Turkey (Economics, education, charity, medias). We will try to seize the direct (justice, police) and indirect modes (media campaign, civilian militias) through which the AKP government attacks this multi-sectorial religious network. Indeed, the government aims to penetrate all the social sectors through the mobilization of political resources, becoming a multi-sectorial Party-State. Started in 2013 and the revelation of a corruption case linked to the Government for which the Gülen Movement was blamed, the repression accelerated dramatically after the failed coup attempt of July 15th 2016 of which the Gülen Movement was immediately accused. This case study will allow us to examine the governance practices of the AKP government, and the post-Coup political restructuring that ensues from it. Through an understanding of the State focusing on a network of powers rather than the State, limited to the administrative apparel, we will explore the creation of new administrative institutions (University of National Security), the management of private funds, support to civilians « vigilantism » groups, use of the media networks connected to the government as new governance modes. Through the crackdown on a so-called « civil society » movement by the government, we will study the multi-sectorial strategies of insertion of this Party-State. The study of the current political crisis will be a way to characterize the Turkish political regime.