Neo-monarchy in the making: law, sovereignty, and resistance in contemporary Turkey

Abstract

This thesis examines the paradox of contemporary authoritarianism, focusing on how regimes are increasingly utilizing formal legal institutions to consolidate executive power. While frameworks such as populism or competitive authoritarianism exist, they do not fully capture the specific fusion of law, market logic, and personalized symbolic authority observed in Turkey. This study aims to fill this gap by asking: How has the Turkish government used law to consolidate power? What role have international human rights actors played? And how has civil society responded? To address this gap, the thesis introduces the concept of ‘neo-monarchy’ to theorize the regime form observed in Turkey. Using a qualitative, interpretive methodology, the research analyzes three case studies: the 2016 EU-Turkey migration deal, the political targeting of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the subsequent civic resistance. The main findings reveal that the regime has repurposed legality as a tool of control, with international actors, such as the EU, playing a role in enabling this through strategic complicity. In response, resistance has adapted by employing creative legal, market, and symbolic tactics. The thesis concludes that Turkey’s ‘neo-monarchy’ represents a sophisticated form of 21st-century authoritarianism. Its use of performative legality to legitimize domination offers a critical lesson and a transnational playbook for similar regimes. These findings have profound implications, indicating that an effective response necessitates both innovative forms of resistance and a fundamental repoliticization of international law.