This thesis explores how the AKP’s discourse on national security constructed Turkey’s national identity and defined threats during two major domestic crises: the Gezi Protests and the Peace...Show moreThis thesis explores how the AKP’s discourse on national security constructed Turkey’s national identity and defined threats during two major domestic crises: the Gezi Protests and the Peace Process between Turkey and the PKK. Through a theoretical framework drawing from securitization and ontological security theory, it provides a discourse analysis in order to determine how AKP officials constructed these events as a threat, identified them as a national emergency, legitimized the application of extraordinary measures against them, and rejected legitimate alternatives. Further, it studies the implications of this construction of identity and (in)security on ontological security, and argues that an appreciation of these implications helps provide significant insights on the nexus of identity and (in)security in contemporary Turkey.Show less
Turkey’s foreign policy began to increasingly rely on soft power with the Justice and Development Party (AKP) coming to power in 2002. Economic development and political reforms achieved in Turkey...Show moreTurkey’s foreign policy began to increasingly rely on soft power with the Justice and Development Party (AKP) coming to power in 2002. Economic development and political reforms achieved in Turkey provided the AKP government the means to use the existing soft power instruments and create new ones to pursue its foreign policy goals. Despite the use of extensive soft power resources, Turkey’s foreign policy has been facing many challenges, even in the countries which have been receiving the strong support of Turkey. This situation raises the question of whether Turkey’s soft power policy has been efficient. In this paper, I will try to measure the success of Turkey’s soft power activities by conducting case studies on Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan. I will argue that although Turkey’s soft power activities have yielded positive results in economic relations, Turkey’s intrusive policies and the democratic backslide in the past decade have significantly damaged its image and rendered its soft power activities less effective.Show less
Turkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in...Show moreTurkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in the region. The period after the breakup of Yugoslavia (1992) and the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995) marked an interesting turning point in Turkey’s further involvement within the cultural, political, and religious spheres of the Balkan region. Turkeys' involvement and influence in the region can be described through the cultural and political factors and most importantly to its Ottoman Islamic heritage. The aftermath of the Serb-Bosnian war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter shortened to Bosnia) demonstrated a rise of foreign Islamic actors seeking to provide aid and relief to the affected Bosnian Muslims and their community. The post-war period was heavily defined by Saudi Arabian and Iranian actors and to a lesser extent Turkish actors. The departure of Saudi and Iranian actors allowed Turkish religious voices to take over spaces left by those previous actors. This turning point is interesting to explore as it questions the nature of Turkey's continuous involvement and its development in the region, specifically in Bosnia. This leads to the question: In what ways have Turkish religious influences developed and affected Bosnian Muslims after the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995)?Show less
The thesis provides a multilevel analysis of how democratic ideas of post-secularism can result in undemocratic policies of anti-secularism. Although AKP initially supported as a cure to Turkey's...Show moreThe thesis provides a multilevel analysis of how democratic ideas of post-secularism can result in undemocratic policies of anti-secularism. Although AKP initially supported as a cure to Turkey's existing problems resulted from Kemalist secularism, and this approach is supported by the EU in the process of integration, the unexpected result is the authoritarian desecularization and populist Islamization of policies in Turkey. The thesis analyzes the desecularization of policies under AKP in three main areas of education, family, and the public sphere.Show less
Transseksüellik Türkiye’de hassas bir konu. Türkiye’de Bülent Ersoy gibi transseksüel olduĝu bilinen bazı sanatçılar var. Öte yandan cinsellik konusunda katı görüşler korunmakta. Mevcut İslam...Show moreTransseksüellik Türkiye’de hassas bir konu. Türkiye’de Bülent Ersoy gibi transseksüel olduĝu bilinen bazı sanatçılar var. Öte yandan cinsellik konusunda katı görüşler korunmakta. Mevcut İslam odaklı AKP geleneksel cinsiyet rollerini ve genel ahlakı ilk sıraya koyuyor. Bu transseksüellerin günlük yaşamda sıklıkla ayrımcılıkla karşılaştıĝı anlamına gelir. Günümüz Turkiyesinde, bu gurubun iş veya devlet kurumlarında düzenli bir iş bulması zor olduĝundan sonuç olarak seks işçiliĝi yapma mecburiyetinde. Mevcut literatüre dayanarak genel olarak cinsellik hakkinda cok yazıldıĝı tespit edilebilir. Türk medyasının transseksüeller hakkında nasıl yazdıĝı konusunda henüz bir araştırma yapılmaması dikkat çekicidir. Bu amaç doĝrultusunda bu çalışmada 1 ocak 2008 ve 1 ocak 2020 tarihleri arasında Cumhuriyet, Milliyet ve Yeni Şafak gazetelerinin internet sitelerinde yapılan taramada 74 habere ulasılmış ve bu haberler üzerinden analiz yapılmıstır. Anahtar kelimeler: Transseksüel, Transfobi, Nefret suçları, Eşcinsel, Travesti LGBT, Muhafazakar.Show less
This thesis will try to shed light upon the interactions of the state with the public in the landscape of a changing state-society relationship and the consolidation of a dominant hegemonic power,...Show moreThis thesis will try to shed light upon the interactions of the state with the public in the landscape of a changing state-society relationship and the consolidation of a dominant hegemonic power, in order to find answers to these contemporary questions and establish an understanding of the contemporary political and social landscape – and their interrelatedness – in the Turkish state. Therefore, this thesis will combine concepts from societal and political studies – namely Public Sphere, Identity Politics and Modes of Governance – to point out their interconnectedness and, perhaps, mutually enforcing nature. Through in-depth analyses of the context, the AKP’s campaign and of electoral behaviour during the 2002, 2007 and 2015 parliamentary and – in the case of 2007 – presidential elections, this essay will cover the question what strategies are being used by Erdogan and the AKP to alter the public sphere and utilize the changed societal sentiments for their own cause. Ultimately, this thesis serves to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework and case study analysis on the contemporary political situation in Turkey in times of elections and to add another facet to the research on the interconnectedness of social transformation and state policies.Show less
Het post-Islamisme is een recente stroming waarover nog wel wat discussie bestaat. Wat op het eerste gezicht een klein nuanceverschil in definitie lijkt, maakt bij nader inzien toch meer verschil....Show moreHet post-Islamisme is een recente stroming waarover nog wel wat discussie bestaat. Wat op het eerste gezicht een klein nuanceverschil in definitie lijkt, maakt bij nader inzien toch meer verschil. Aan de hand van het toetsen van de discours van de Turkse AK Partij, vanaf hun oprichting tot aan 15 juli 2016, zal naar voren komen in welke definitie van het post-Islamisme de partij het beste past.Show less
De AKP heeft in de eerste tien jaar van de 21ste eeuw een rigoureuze ommekeer doorgevoerd wat betreft het buitenlandbeleid van Turkije; Turkije moest, onder leiding van de AKP, haar strategische...Show moreDe AKP heeft in de eerste tien jaar van de 21ste eeuw een rigoureuze ommekeer doorgevoerd wat betreft het buitenlandbeleid van Turkije; Turkije moest, onder leiding van de AKP, haar strategische diepte benutten. Het gevolg was een heroriëntatie in de buitenlandpolitiek waar een grote rol voor Turkije's 'soft power' potentieel was gereserveerd. Dit paper doet onderzoek naar de manier waarop Turkije tussen 2002 en 2015 gebruikt heeft gemaakt van soft power strategieën om haar internationale imago en positie te beïnvloeden.Show less
De politiek van Turkse AKP regering, die sinds 2002 aan de macht is, wordt vaak bestempeld als neo-Ottomanisme. Hierbij wordt het Osmaanse verleden omarmt en op gebied van buitenlandbeleid wordt...Show moreDe politiek van Turkse AKP regering, die sinds 2002 aan de macht is, wordt vaak bestempeld als neo-Ottomanisme. Hierbij wordt het Osmaanse verleden omarmt en op gebied van buitenlandbeleid wordt betrokkenheid bij voormalige Osmaanse gebieden aangespoord om de politieke en economische invloed van Turkije in de regio te vergroten. Een manier om dit te doen is door middel van soft power en culturele diplomatie. De Yunus Emre Instituten zijn een goed voorbeeld van culturele diplomatie in de praktijk. De instituten zijn sinds 2009 actief en hebben als doel het verspreiden van de Turkse taal, cultuur en kunst. Daarnaast benadrukken de instituten met hun activiteiten de strategische ligging en het historische erfgoed van Turkije. De Yunus Emre Instituten leveren een grote bijdrage aan het verspreiden van het Turkse immateriële erfgoed.Show less
This thesis is about the role of women organizations in the Gezi protests in Istanbul in 2013. The theory "civil resistance" is used. The research question is: "What has motivated several non...Show moreThis thesis is about the role of women organizations in the Gezi protests in Istanbul in 2013. The theory "civil resistance" is used. The research question is: "What has motivated several non-environmentalist women’s organizations in Istanbul to actively participate in the Gezi protests? Have these organizations mobilized women?"Show less
Wat is Turks nationalisme, welke ontwikkeling heeft dit nationalisme in de loop van de jaren doorgemaakt (onder invloed van politiek ontwikkelingen) en op welke manieren komen de verschillende...Show moreWat is Turks nationalisme, welke ontwikkeling heeft dit nationalisme in de loop van de jaren doorgemaakt (onder invloed van politiek ontwikkelingen) en op welke manieren komen de verschillende vormen van Turks nationalisme tot uitdrukking in de publieke ruimte van Istanbul?Show less
