Ecuador's constitution of 2008 has gathered worldwide attention for its progressive outlook. The constitution adopted Buen Vivir (good living), a concept rooted in the Andean indigenous social...Show moreEcuador's constitution of 2008 has gathered worldwide attention for its progressive outlook. The constitution adopted Buen Vivir (good living), a concept rooted in the Andean indigenous social movements, as the leading principle of the state. Scholars have called Buen Vivir a potential 'alternative to development': it redefines the objective of national planning as achieving harmony between nature, society and individuals, as opposed to narrowly-defined improved material wellbeing. Nonetheless, critics claim that the term has turned into a guise for new developmentalist state practices. This thesis assesses how a radical new discourse such as Buen Vivir evolves once confronted with the structures of the state and the constraints of society and economy. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis, it analyses how the framing of Buen Vivir in the speeches of Ecuador's presidents has limited its transformative potential. Furthermore, it illustrates how gaps between discourse, state practices and constitutional values have rendered the emancipatory meaning of Buen Vivir ambiguous.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
