Enviromental Civil Society and Politics: The Aegean Region Example
Is environment an issue of politics? Or it should be regarded as an issue above politics and political parties? According to Gramsci, dominant classes exercise their hegemony over the society not only through coercion but also through gaining consent of the broad masses. Whether the society views the issue of environment as a political or an apolitical, aesthetic, and technical issue impacts how the decision-making about environmental issues are formulated. So, does the environmental civil society give consent to the issue of environment being an apolitical issue? This research project investigates if environmental civil society in the Aegean Region of Turkey perceive environment as a political issue. It also examines the relations of these organizations with the political parties in Turkey. Through a survey sent to 308 environmental civil society organizations in the Aegean Region, this research aims to enlighten both how the environmental issues are viewed by the environmentalists and the relations between environmentalists and political parties in the country.