Theoretical Approaches to the Puzzle of EU–Turkey Relations

This chapter lays the theoretical foundation of the book by drawing on neo-Gramscian approaches to international relations and global governance. It conceptualizes the EU–Turkey human rights dialogue not merely as a legal or normative exercise, but as a hegemonic project embedded in asymmetrical power relations. The chapter revisits key neo-Gramscian concepts such as hegemony, passive revolution, and the role of civil society, in order to frame the EU’s human rights discourse as a mechanism of soft power and conditionality. It also critically examines how Turkish domestic actors selectively internalize, resist, or reframe EU norms in ways that reflect broader struggles over legitimacy, sovereignty, and modernization. The chapter positions human rights as a terrain of contestation rather than a universal normative good.