The Capture of Turkey’s Universities Under the AKP

Ayça Alemdaroğlu, in a June 2026 MERIP Podcast interview, detailed how Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has systematically influenced universities over 25 years to suppress dissent and consolidate control. The analysis, drawn from her article “The Capture of Turkey’s Universities Under the AKP” in the Spring 2026 issue of Middle East Report, highlights a dual strategy: expanding higher education access while eroding academic freedom through administrative pressure and emergency decrees.

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What are the key strategies used by the AKP to influence Turkish universities?

Alemdaroğlu outlined the AKP’s efforts to co-opt university administrations, particularly at elite institutions like Boğaziçi University and Middle East Technical University, where the party has targeted outspoken faculty and students. According to her research, the government has leveraged “ordinary administrative authority and extraordinary instruments such as emergency decrees” to reorient universities toward political compliance. These measures include arbitrary dismissals, restricted academic autonomy, and the appointment of loyalists to leadership roles.

The AKP’s approach also involves constructing new universities in provincial areas, a move Alemdaroğlu describes as “building its own hegemonic institutions.” This strategy, she argues, expands access to higher education while diluting the influence of traditional academic centers, which have historically been hubs of liberal and progressive thought.

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How did the AKP’s actions impact Istanbul Bilgi University?

A focal point of the interview was the 2026 closure and rapid re-opening of Istanbul Bilgi University, a private institution known for its progressive academic culture. The abrupt shutdown in May 2026, followed by its reactivation under new leadership, exemplifies the state’s ability to wield regulatory power against institutions deemed dissident. Alemdaroğlu noted that the episode underscored the vulnerability of private universities to political pressures, even as the government promotes expansion of higher education.

The closure, she said, was part of a broader pattern of “coercive tactics” aimed at aligning universities with the AKP’s ideological agenda. While the government framed the action as a routine administrative review, critics, including faculty members, argued it was a retaliatory measure against the university’s opposition to state interference.

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What evidence supports claims of academic freedom erosion?

Alemdaroğlu’s analysis cites multiple examples of institutional control, including the 2021 dismissal of faculty at Boğaziçi University following protests against government interference. She also references her 2022 article in the European Journal of Turkish Studies, which traces how emergency decrees since 2016 have enabled the AKP to bypass judicial oversight in university appointments and policy decisions.

The erosion of academic freedom, she argues, is not limited to public institutions. Private universities like Istanbul Bilgi, while initially more autonomous, have faced increasing scrutiny. Alemdaroğlu’s 2026 piece in Birikim Dergisi further examines how the AKP’s “single-signature republic” model—granting the president unilateral authority over key decisions—has centralized control over academic governance.

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Why does the AKP prioritize university control?

The interview emphasized the AKP’s broader goal of shaping a “new university order” aligned with its nationalist and religious-conservative values. Alemdaroğlu noted that universities have long been sites of political contestation in Turkey, with left-leaning and secular institutions often challenging the party’s policies. By co-opting or suppressing these spaces, the AKP aims to reinforce its legitimacy and limit dissent.

This strategy, she said, mirrors similar efforts in other regions where governments have sought to regulate academic institutions. However, the scale and persistence of the AKP’s campaign, spanning 25 years, set it apart. “It’s not just about controlling curricula,” Alemdaroğlu stated. “It’s about reshaping the intellectual and cultural landscape of the country.”

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What are the implications for Turkey’s academic landscape?

The long-term effects of the AKP’s policies, according to Alemdaroğlu, include a homogenization of academic discourse and a decline in critical scholarship. While the government has expanded access to higher education—with over 7 million students enrolled in 2025, up from 2.5 million in 2002—this growth has occurred alongside stricter controls.

The closure of Istanbul Bilgi University and the marginalization of dissenting voices at other institutions signal a broader trend. Alemdaroğlu’s work, alongside collaborations with scholars like Elif Babül, underscores the tension between educational expansion and ideological conformity. “The challenge,” she said, “is to preserve spaces where intellectual pluralism can thrive.”

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“Although access to institutions of higher education has expanded greatly, academic