The politics of risk perception in Turkey: Discourse coalitions in the case of the Bergama gold mine dispute

Abstract

Risk perception is a major stimulus behind the mobilisation of environmental movements and the definition of risk is a highly contested political process. This article aims to address the struggles surrounding the definition of risk in the case of a gold mine dispute in Turkey where opposing discourse coalitions of environmentalists and miners formed around storylines based on diverse perceptions of risk. Although the judiciary decided to close down the mine, the government permitted its continued operation and, despite the existence of objective risks, the storyline of economic development that was formulated within the confines of the existing institutionalised tradition of state-led economic development discourse eventually triumphed.