Abstrakt
Contemporary Turkey experiences crisis from many perspectives - economic crisis, the Syrian refugee crisis, the social crisis of rising polarisation, or regime crisis. The last one is Covid-19 pandemic.
The crises in modern Turkey have been traditionally connected with the growth of nationalist discourse of political elites. According to observers, Turkish president R.
T. Erdogan as the head of political elite has perceived Covid-19 crisis as the opportunity to reaffirm the political legitimacy and restore his image as the saviour of Turkish society relating to his political success in 2002.
Alongside, it has been the opportunity to strengthen nationalist-religious identity among Turks, widely promoted in Erdogan's political discourse during last years. How Erdogan used the nationalism in his political speeches during Covid-19 pandemic in 2020? What are the main nationalist features promoted in his rhetoric? The purpose of this presentation is to investigate the impact of Covid-19 in Turkey on the contemporary wave of nationalism through the discourse analysis of Erdogan's political speeches between January-June 2020.
Erdogan might utilize Covid-19 as a new tool for influencing the society and strengthening his popularity. The main argument is that Erdogan used the crisis to reinforce new nationalism based on the Ottoman legacy, antiglobalism and national independence, and to influence the public opinion on domestic and foreign policy issues for his future political steps.
The presentation will contribute to the understanding of Turkey in pandemic and potential post-pandemic era.