Consumer Society and Religion in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey experienced fast economic development in last decade. Its GNP per capita increased from four thousand dollars in 2000 to ten thousand dollars in 2011. Because of economic development, the establishment of culture industry and influences of mass media, Turkey has been becoming a consumer society recently. In Istanbul, many shopping malls have been opened in last decade. The use of credit cards has exploded after 2000. All of these are the symptoms of being a consumer society. On the other hand, in the last decade, Turkey has become more conservatives. AKP, a conservative party, has been ruling Turkey since 2002 and increased its vote as well. It increased its vote from 34.2% percent of total vote in 2002 to 49.8% percent of the total vote in 2011, becoming the largest party in parliament. Because of AKP’s policies and globalization, a religious bourgeois has been emerging in Turkey recently. Although they try to live according religious codes, they want to integrate to consumer culture as well. As a result, religious values and norms are changing such a way they fit consumer cultures. One of the examples of transformation of religious values in consumer culture is fashion show of veiling. There are many other examples which indicate the complex relationships between consumer culture and religious values. This paper will examine this complex relationship in Turkey. To understand this relationship, it will be explored the connection between consumer culture and secularization as well.