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
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
By taking the Gülen Movement and Turkish regime as a case study, the aim of the thesis is to expose the developments in the state-society relationship, to seek why is the Turkish regime becoming...Show moreBy taking the Gülen Movement and Turkish regime as a case study, the aim of the thesis is to expose the developments in the state-society relationship, to seek why is the Turkish regime becoming increasingly authoritarian by examining international and domestic threats, and whether the Gülen movement is formally transformed into a scapegoat to give a rationale for government’s actions. An answer to the proposed research question: “What are the motivations of the Turkish government for targeting the Gülen Movement since 2012, and is this a strategy to shift away the focus from rising authoritarianism in Turkey?” is provided by confirming the hypothesis of the government scapegoating the Gülen movement to consolidate power and to shift the focus from its growing authoritarianism.Show less
In deze scriptie is onderzocht in hoeverre de publieke opinie over terreurorganisatie Islamitische Staat (IS) invloed heeft gehad op de verkiezingscampagnes voor de parlementsverkiezingen van 2015...Show moreIn deze scriptie is onderzocht in hoeverre de publieke opinie over terreurorganisatie Islamitische Staat (IS) invloed heeft gehad op de verkiezingscampagnes voor de parlementsverkiezingen van 2015 in Israël en in Turkije. Hiertoe is de presentatie van IS in de Israëlische en Turkse media gedurende de verkiezingsperiode geanalyseerd en is geanalyseerd hoe belangrijke verkiezingskandidaten hierop hebben gezinspeeld. Uit dit onderzoek blijkt dat Netanyahu tijdens zijn campagne IS stelselmatig heeft aangehaald en hierbij voornamelijk heeft gedoeld op andere terreurdreigingen. In tegenstelling tot de situatie in Israël blijkt dat in Turkije de terreurorganisatie tijdens de verkiezingscampagnes juist is aangehaald door de kleinere oppositiepartijen. In hun campagnes brachten zij de terreurorganisatie voornamelijk in verband met de slechte reputatie van Turkije in de strijd tegen IS.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Hebreeuwse en Joodse Studies (BA)
closed access
In deze scriptie is onderzocht in hoeverre de publieke opinie over terreurorganisatie Islamitische Staat (IS) invloed heeft gehad op de verkiezingscampagnes voor de parlementsverkiezingen van 2015...Show moreIn deze scriptie is onderzocht in hoeverre de publieke opinie over terreurorganisatie Islamitische Staat (IS) invloed heeft gehad op de verkiezingscampagnes voor de parlementsverkiezingen van 2015 in Israël en in Turkije. Hiertoe is de presentatie van IS in de Israëlische en Turkse media gedurende de verkiezingsperiode geanalyseerd en is geanalyseerd hoe belangrijke verkiezingskandidaten hierop hebben gezinspeeld. Uit dit onderzoek blijkt dat Netanyahu tijdens zijn campagne IS stelselmatig heeft aangehaald en hierbij voornamelijk heeft gedoeld op andere terreurdreigingen. In tegenstelling tot de situatie in Israël blijkt dat in Turkije de terreurorganisatie tijdens de verkiezingscampagnes juist is aangehaald door de kleinere oppositiepartijen. In hun campagnes brachten zij de terreurorganisatie voornamelijk in verband met de slechte reputatie van Turkije in de strijd tegen IS.Show less
