Sacralisation: defying the politicisation of security in Turkey
Author(s)
Date
2018Source Title
European Review of International Studies
Print ISSN
2196-6923
Publisher
Verlag Barbara Budrich
Volume
5
Issue
3
Pages
94 - 114
Language
English
Type
ArticleItem Usage Stats
272
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292
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Abstract
In early 2016, a small town called Kilis on Turkey’s southeast border became the
target of unguided short-range rockets originating from an ISIS-controlled zone in Syria.
Continuing over a five-month period, the attacks claimed 20+ lives, rendered hundreds of
people homeless, and traumatised many more. Yet, the public in the rest of Turkey remained
mostly unaware of the havoc caused by these attacks. This is not to say that appropriate steps
to address the rocket attacks were not taken. Yet uttering ‘security’ was conspicuously absent
from Ankara’s response repertoire. The puzzle being: how was it possible for Ankara to limit
politics in the face of local civil societal actors’ and opposition MPs’ attempts to politicise
security? Through sacralisation, I suggest. What follows shows that in the first half of 2016,
invoking ‘sacred’ cultural codes in framing the events helped Ankara to limit politics around
security.