Constitution of Turkish self : a post-structuralist foreign policy analysis of JDP's foreign policy discourse on distant natural disasters
Author(s)
Advisor
Bilgin, PınarDate
2012Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
Identity is mostly portrayed as given in foreign policy analysis. However, the power
of foreign policy discourse on identity constitution has been raised by poststructuralism
for the last 30 years. As the overall objective, this study aims at
showing the performative link between foreign policy and identity. Specifically, this
study also aims at understanding the performative link between foreign policy
discourse of Justice and Development Party (JDP) policy-makers and Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials on distant natural disasters and the constitution of
the Turkish self, through utilizing a critical discourse analysis methodology. There
are three main findings of this study, namely (i) the foreign policy discourse of JDP
on the distant natural disasters has constituted the Indonesia and Pakistan disasters
as important events, (ii) this discourse has constituted the Turkish self as a
homogenous community, (iii) this homogenous Turkish self is linked with several
signifiers and differentiated from negated external others.