Constructivist approaches to EU-Turkey relations

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical survey of constructivist approaches to EU-Turkey relations, which place significance on the role of norms, identities, discourse, ideas, and values in the relationship. It outlines the main contours of the constructivist school of thought in International Relations (IR) with a discussion of how the different variants of constructivism can be applied to the study of the case of EU-Turkey relations. It is followed by an illustrative survey of the academic contributions in the field of EU-Turkey relations that base their accounts on constructivist theoretical premises in three periods: 1997-1999, 2000-2010, and 2011-2020. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potential areas for further constructivist research on EU-Turkey relations.