Elise Massicard on muhtars, the state and society in Turkey
Turkey Book Talk
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Muhtaars Are State Agents Wielding Institutional Power
Muhtaars are basically in some certain respect part of the state but in others embedded in society so they complicate this classic dichotomy that we have of state versus society and obviously that is a rigid opposition according to much Turkish scholarship. In some instances Muhtaars would struggle against official decisions even you know when it comes to defending some interests of inhabitants of their residents. They also help state officials to better know and better identify society and problems in society, he says.
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