FROM THE MARGINS TO THE CENTER OF SOCIAL LIFE: NON-MUSLIM MINORITIES IN MODERN TURKEY

The differentiation between the ruling Muslim segment of Ottoman society and the non-Muslim communities marked the de facto social and political -albeit not economic-marginalization of the latter in the Empire. This marginalization continued in the Republican era, as the modernization and secularization of Turkish society did not keep the state's promises for a multicultural social establishment in every part of life. However, during the last decade, this trend has begun to change. This article aims to unpack the process of de-marginalization of non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and their return to the foreground of social life in the context of a booming modern Turkish society. The author points to the importance of the new constitution process and the adoption of the articles of European Convention on Human Rights in this regard.