“Never trust the West:” understanding anti-Westernism(s) in Turkish media

Despite the burgeoning literature on Turkish anti-Westernism on elite and public opinion levels, the role of the media in and discourses of anti-Westernism remains relatively understudied. To remedy this, after introducing Occidentalist literature and various strands of anti-Westernism, this study presents a thematic analysis of around 750 articles from five nationwide newspapers published between November 2020 and May 2022. Widespread distrust, hostility, and insecurity towards an Occidentalist caricature of the West are documented in Turkish media coupled with conspiracy theories; these are present in both anti- and pro-government newspapers. Turkish media, in unison, presents the West as Turkey’s arch-rival and responsible for most of its past and present woes. Turkish media also often instrumentalizes the West in deflecting attention from policy failures of the political camps they align with. These representations justify homegrown authoritarianism and undemocratic measures by stoking an “under-siege” mentality, which is argued to require swift and assertive measures against external and internal agents puppeteered by the West. It is argued that the constant negative representations fuel anti-Westernism, driving a wider wedge between the West and Turkey.