Turkish and European Identity Constructions in the 1815-1945 Period

FEUTURE Online Paper No. 4 (2017)

This FEUTURE paper focuses on Turkey’s and Europe’s perceptions of each other in identity and cul-tural terms between two periods: 1789-1922 and 1923-1945. It identifies the identity representa-tions developed by both sides in response to key selected political and cultural drivers of these peri-ods by subjecting the writings of prominent Ottoman bureaucrats and intellectuals in the first period as well as newspaper articles and editorials in Europe and Turkey in both periods to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Identity representations are then discussed in relation to the pre-identified focal is-sues in the relationship; namely nationalism, status in international society, civilisation and state-citizen relations. The paper finds that there is no linear pattern to identity representations that are constantly contested in both the Turkish and European contexts. Certain positive and negative events trigger identity representations in novel ways, feeding into a set of relations which can be identified by conflict, convergence or cooperation.

Authors:

Senem Aydin-Düzgit, Sabanci University; Johanna Chovanec, Sabanci University; Seckin Baris Gülmez, Koc University; Bahar Rumelili, Koc University and Alp Eren Topal, Koc University