The Pursuit of Rights: Realizing Citizenship through CSO Participation

Contemporary theories of citizenship explore the practice of citizenship in a range of national, post national and local sites. Globalization, new patterns of migration, the thinning of borders, and transnational organizations all present the opportunity to practice citizenship beyond the boundaries of the nation state (Linklater 2007; Soysal 1998). Contemporary citizenship theories also define citizenship as “acts” (Işın and Nielsen 20008) and as the pursuit of rights. For formal and informal minority groups, and excluded or disadvantaged groups, citizenship may necessitate moving beyond its legal conceptualization within a geographic boundary. These groups may seek alternative channels to realize their citizenship. Some through transnational networks others through domestic local organizations. Civil society organizations (CSO) are an important site for civic participation, providing opportunities for citizens to engage in their communities and contribute to decision making mechanisms. CSOs in Turkey have burgeoned over the past two decades and provide an important space for citizens to pursue a wide range of interests and/or provide services. This study is an empirical analysis of whether and how civil society organizations facilitate the practice of citizenship for different disadvantaged groups in six different cities in Turkey. By examining the local civic culture and participation dynamics in these CSOs, this research identifies how groups use CSOs to realize their citizenship. It examines how effective they are in acting as a space for the pursuit of rights. This study is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 70 participants at 40 CSOs and in 6 cities. Women’s, human rights, youth, and vocational CSOs are studied to identify whether the CSO in fact enables these groups the opportunity to realize their citizenship as rights pursuit.