Constructing Europe through Turkey: French Perceptions on Turkey's Accession to the European Union

France is one of the key member states to contribute to the debate on Turkey’s relations with the European Union. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the different 'Europes’ that are constructed in debates on Turkey’s accession to the European Union among French politicians. Since Turkey is often described as a fundamental challenge to the European project due to the ambiguities surrounding its Europeanness, French political debates on Turkey are expected to constitute a fundamental terrain over which various constructions of the European Self are undertaken within a given national context that remains at the core of European integration.