Black Turks (Turkish: Kara Türkler or Siyah Türkler) is a socioeconomic term used to describe Turks who are a lower or middle income class. They are described as religious and traditional in contrast to the more secularized class of their country.Sumer, Beyza. White vs. black Turks: the civilising process in Turkey in the 1990s. MS thesis. Middle East Technical University, 2003.
The contrasting socioeconomic group in Turkey is called the White Turks, who dominate the society's politics; their efforts to restrict the religious lifestyle have led to cultural conflict.Demiralp, Seda. "White Turks, Black Turks? Faultlines beyond Islamism versus Secularism." Third World Quarterly 33.3 (2012): 511-524.
A third class of Turks with characteristics of both classes is known as the Grey Turks.Diaz, Marta Dominguez. "“Are New Sufis “Grey Turks”? Urbanite National Identities and Religious Reconfigurations." Strategic Depth through Soft Power: The Domestic Production and International Projection of Turkish Culture: 23.
The term Black Turk was used by 2018 presidential candidate Muharrem İnce to describe himself, claiming that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was no longer a Black Turk.
See also Religion in Turkey Islam in Turkey Erdoğanism Freedom of religion in Turkey Conservatism in Turkey
Further reading Yücel, Halime. "Cultural identity in Turkish advertisements." Social Semiotics 31.2 (2021): 305-323. DEMIRALP, SEDA. “White Turks, Black Turks? Faultlines beyond Islamism versus Secularism.” Third World Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 3, 2012, pp. 511–24. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41507184. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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