This thesis explores the role of the phenomenon of Sevres Syndrome in the construction of the populist antagonistic relation of "us" versus "them" in Turkey. Not only does it look at its role in populist discourse, but it also highlights how it has been used throughout Turkish history by different hegemonic entities to exclude groups from the Turkish nation. It begins by briefly looking at the origins of Sevres Syndrome in the Treaty of Sevres and its manifestations throughout the history of the Turkish Republic as a fear of outside powers and their domestic collaborators intent on dividing and destroying the Turkish nation. It continues by providing an in-depth analysis of the populist discourse regarding the specific events of the July 2016 coup attempt and the April 2017 constitutional referendum to explore how Sevres Syndrome informs the development of the populist relation of "us" and "them". The thesis argues that the Sevres Syndrome fear narrative acts as a historic background narrative, which informs the discursive categorization of which groups belong to the populist "us" of the Turkish nation as opposed to the populist "them" of foreign powers and their domestic collaborators. / Master of Arts / The discursive construction of the populist "us" versus "them" relation has played a role in Turkish politics since the founding of the Turkish Republic. Following the Ottoman defeat in World War II, the Treaty of Sevres signed between Allied powers and representatives of the dying Ottoman government divided the Anatolian peninsula between various entities until the country was united under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and the newly declared Turkish government in Ankara. However, the memory of national division under the Treaty of Sevres left a lasting impact on the country that has continued till today. Political discourse contains numerous references to vague outside powers who are supposedly aiming to divide and destroy the Turkish nation with the aid of domestic traitors. As argued by this thesis, this narrative has become the foundation for the discursive construction of the populist "us" versus "them" relation in which groups are associated as being either on the side of the Turkish nation or on the side of supposed dark forces plotting to nationally and territorially divide Turkey.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/102135 |
| Date | 29 January 2021 |
| Creators | Matthews, Ryan John |
| Contributors | Political Science, Stivachtis, Ioannis, Binev, Binio S., Koch, Bettina |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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