The Republic of Turkey is the most controversial candidate state for European Union membership to date. Not only does Turkey face obstacles with the technical aspects of the enlargement process such as changes in domestic policies, the legal system, and economy, but the proposed accession of Turkey to the European Union exposes a divergence in norms, values and state identity. The process of international socialization is one explanation for the domestic changes occurring in Turkey as part of European Union membership negotiations. Through the lens of the constructivist-rationalist debate in international relations, this study examines how changes in domestic norms are imposed on a target state by an international actor, eventually leading to changes in state behavior and identity. Secularism and the status of women in Turkey are utilized as examples that demonstrate both similarities and differences in the normative values of Turkey and the European Union. This study concludes with a discussion of the credibility of the European Union's offer of membership and its impact on the international socialization process occurring in Turkey.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Republic of Turkey is the most controversial candidate state for European Union membership to date. Not only does Turkey face obstacles with the technical aspects of the enlargement process such as changes in domestic policies, the legal system, and economy, but the proposed accession of Turkey to the European Union exposes a divergence in norms, values and state identity. The process of international socialization is one explanation for the domestic changes occurring in Turkey as part of European Union membership negotiations. Through the lens of the constructivist-rationalist debate in international relations, this study examines how changes in domestic norms are imposed on a target state by an international actor, eventually leading to changes in state behavior and identity. Secularism and the status of women in Turkey are utilized as examples that demonstrate both similarities and differences in the normative values of Turkey and the European Union. This study concludes with a discussion of the credibility of the European Union's offer of membership and its impact on the international socialization process occurring in Turkey.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wilson, Maureen E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Social Sciences (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Sociology and Anthropology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Krista Wiegand","Richard Pacelle"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:19Z","subjects":["ETD","Turkey","European Union","International socialization","Constructivism","Rationalism","Norms","Secularism","Women in Islam","Political Science"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/611","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Krista Wiegand","Richard Pacelle"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wilson, Maureen E."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Sociology and Anthropology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Social Sciences (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","Turkey","European Union","International socialization","Constructivism","Rationalism","Norms","Secularism","Women in Islam","Political Science"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/611"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Republic of Turkey is the most controversial candidate state for European Union membership to date. Not only does Turkey face obstacles with the technical aspects of the enlargement process such as changes in domestic policies, the legal system, and economy, but the proposed accession of Turkey to the European Union exposes a divergence in norms, values and state identity. The process of international socialization is one explanation for the domestic changes occurring in Turkey as part of European Union membership negotiations. Through the lens of the constructivist-rationalist debate in international relations, this study examines how changes in domestic norms are imposed on a target state by an international actor, eventually leading to changes in state behavior and identity. Secularism and the status of women in Turkey are utilized as examples that demonstrate both similarities and differences in the normative values of Turkey and the European Union. This study concludes with a discussion of the credibility of the European Union's offer of membership and its impact on the international socialization process occurring in Turkey.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Turkey and the European Union: Creating Domestic Norms through International Socialization"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Krista Wiegand","Richard Pacelle"],"dc:creator":["Wilson, Maureen E."],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Republic of Turkey is the most controversial candidate state for European Union membership to date. Not only does Turkey face obstacles with the technical aspects of the enlargement process such as changes in domestic policies, the legal system, and economy, but the proposed accession of Turkey to the European Union exposes a divergence in norms, values and state identity. The process of international socialization is one explanation for the domestic changes occurring in Turkey as part of European Union membership negotiations. Through the lens of the constructivist-rationalist debate in international relations, this study examines how changes in domestic norms are imposed on a target state by an international actor, eventually leading to changes in state behavior and identity. Secularism and the status of women in Turkey are utilized as examples that demonstrate both similarities and differences in the normative values of Turkey and the European Union. This study concludes with a discussion of the credibility of the European Union's offer of membership and its impact on the international socialization process occurring in Turkey.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/611"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Turkey","European Union","International socialization","Constructivism","Rationalism","Norms","Secularism","Women in Islam","Political Science"],"dc:title":["Turkey and the European Union: Creating Domestic Norms through International Socialization"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Sociology and Anthropology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Social Sciences (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:19Z"}