Finding the othering in the representation of Syrian refugee women: critical discourse analysis of the Turkish newspapers Cumhuriyet, Hurriyet, Sabah, Sozcu and Yeni Safak

Abstract

After the outbreak of chaos in 2011 in Syria Arab Spring uprisings, Turkey implemented an open door policy for those who were subjected to forced migration. In this process, Syrians faced the consequences of being in a different country. Entering a social cohesion process with the society has brought along various policies. The representation of the media in this prescription acts as a bridge to break positive and negative prejudices between the host society and the Syrians. When Syrians are mentioned, the first men are coming to fore to mind and cause women to be forced into the background and make their lives invisible. This study focuses on how newspapers with different political views represent Syrian women in the Turkish print media. While making this analysis, critical discourse analysis was used. It is based on the fact that women are exposed to various other marginalization through the concept of dual otherness. Between 2015-2018, the news of Cumhuriyet, Sözcü, Hürriyet, Sabah and Yeni Safak newspapers about Syrian women were evaluated in the categories determined in the study. The news is categorized as death, victim, offender, mother, hero-achievement, sexual object, dependent on the service provided by the country, and others.