Even though multicultural groups have always existed in Turkey, identity politics has only recently been central to the Turkish political system. There have been many studies that have argued that this is a late development delayed by the repressive measures of the state. I shall not refute these arguments, but I shall take a different approach. I shall try to indicate some of the socio-economic developments in Turkey in the 1980s that either facilitated or initiated identity politics. I will not argue that these are the only reasons; on the contrary, there may be many other international, cultural, and political factors that have been influential.