Turkey and the European Union

Turkeys EU accession talks, which began in 2005, were intended to strengthen Turkeys democracy and the EUs ability to embrace difference. Instead, we have seen repeated questioning of Turkeys Europeanness and mutual exploitation of the others weaknesses. Offering a unique analysis of conversations in and about Turkey and the EU, Lucia Najlov adopts an interdisciplinary ethnographic lens, taking the reader through misunderstandings in the diplomatic framework and into everyday interactions between various protagonists of the relationship. Questions of belonging and recognition underpin the analysis and connect various research sites, including the 2016 refugee deal and the status of Turkish Cypriots. Najlov delves into the temporal dimensions of this dynamic, such as questions surrounding Turkish modernity and nation-building, and asks whether there is such a thing as good timing for democracy and what would happen if the diplomatic framework of Turkey-EU relations started moving faster.