Erdogan’s Politics of Domination: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Neo-Ottomanism

Authors

  • Firmanda Taufiq UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta
  • Ibnu Burdah UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta
  • Munirul Ikhwan UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21154/altahrir.v24i2.9701

Keywords:

Erdogan, developmental and regional agendas, Neo-Ottomanism, political domination, Turkey

Abstract

Following the dissolution of the Ottoman dynasty in 1924, Turkey experienced profound political transformations. Transitioning from a monarchy under the Ottoman Empire to a republican system under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the country embraced secularism as a foundational principle. This article explores the political rhetoric of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current President of Turkey, who has revived the concept of Neo-Ottomanism to shape Turkey's developmental trajectory and regional ambitions. By analyzing political statements, policy documents, and public discourses, this study investigates how Erdogan's administration employed Neo-Ottomanism not only to evoke a nostalgic vision of the Ottoman Empire’s grandeur but also as a strategic framework for asserting Turkey's regional influence and political dominance. The article argues that Neo-Ottomanism is a symbolic tool for national identity construction and a practical instrument for projecting geopolitical power.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Albayrak, Didem, and Kürşad Turan. “Neo-Ottomanism in Turkish Foreign Policy Through the Lenses of the Principal-Agent Theory.” Journal of Security, Strategy, and Political Studies 1 (June 6, 2016): 129–54.

Axiarlis, and Evangelia. Political Islam and the Secular State in Turkey: Democracy, Reform and the Justice and Development Party. Library of Modern Turkey 11. I.B. Tauris, 2014. Bekdil, Burak. “Why neo-Ottomanism is bad for Turkey.” Accessed December 17, 2021. https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/why-neo-ottomanism-is-bad-for-turkey-10886683.

Cagaptay, Soner. Erdogan’s Empire: Turkey and The Politics Of The Middle East. I.B. Tauris, 2019.

———. The New Sultan: Erdogan and the Crisis of Modern Turkey. I.B.Tauris, 2017.

Hristov, Ivaylo. “Neo-Ottomanism – Emergence, Ideology and Political Doctrine.” Social Evolution & History 18 (March 1, 2019). https://doi.org/10.30884/seh/2019.01.08.

Kaya, Emir. Secularism and State Religion in Modern Turkey: Law, Policy-Making and the Diyanet. I.B. Tauris, 2018.

Keyman, E. Fuat, and Sebnem Gumuscu (auth.). Democracy, Identity, and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Hegemony through Transformation. Islam and Nationalism Series. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2014.

Khan, M. Sheharyar. “The Transformation of Turkish Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East.” Policy Perspectives 12, no. 1 (2015): 31–50. https://doi.org/10.13169/polipers.12.1.0031.

McDonald, Denîz Bîngöl. “Imperial Legacies and Neo-Ottomanism: Eastern Europe and Turkey.” Insight Turkey 14, no. 4 (2012): 101–20.

Murinson, Alexander. “The Strategic Depth Doctrine of Turkish Foreign Policy.” Middle Eastern Studies 42, no. 6 (2006): 945–64.

Oruç, Merve Şebnem. “‘Neo-Ottomanism’ and Erdoğan: Comparisons, Facts | Column.” Daily Sabah, February 24, 2021. https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/neo-ottomanism-and-erdogan-comparisons-facts.

Park, and Bill. Modern Turkey: People, State and Foreign Policy in a Globalised World. Taylor & Francis, 2013.

Rozaki, Abdur. Islam, Oligarki Politik & Perlawanan Sosial, 2016.

Sullivan, Amelia. “Unconditional Surrender: The Rise of President Erdogan and the End of Kemalist Turkey.” History in the Making 11, no. 1 (October 9, 2019). https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making/vol11/iss1/5.

Taspinar, Ömer. “Turkey’s Middle East Policies: Between Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalism.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2008.

“Turkey converts another former Istanbul church into a mosque.” Accessed November 16, 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/21/turkey-converts-another-former-istanbul-church-into-a-mosque.

Uçum, Mehmet. “Reforming Turkey’s Democracy.” Insight Turkey 19, no. 2 (2017): 21–42.

Volfová, Gabriela Özel. “Turkey’s Middle Eastern Endeavors: Discourses and Practices of Neo-Ottomanism under the AKP.” Die Welt Des Islams 56, no. 3/4 (2016): 489–510.

Vrede. “Turkey’s aggressive neo-Ottomanism.” Accessed November 16, 2021. https://vrede.be/en/news/turkeys-aggressive-neo-ottomanism.

Yanık, Lerna K. “Bringing the Empire Back In: The Gradual Discovery of the Ottoman Empire in Turkish Foreign Policy.” Die Welt Des Islams 56, no. 3/4 (2016): 466–88.

Yavuz, M. Hakan. Nostalgia for the Empire: The Politics of Neo-Ottomanism. Oxford University Press, 2020.

———. “Social and Intellectual Origins of Neo-Ottomanism: Searching for a Post-National Vision.” Die Welt Des Islams 56, no. 3/4 (2016): 438–65.

———. “Turkish Identity and Foreign Policy in Flux: The Rise of Neo‐Ottomanism.” Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies 7, no. 12 (March 1998): 19–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669929808720119.

Yilmaz, Ihsan. “Post-Secularism, Post-Islamism and Islam in the Public Sphere.” In Modern Islamic Thinking and Activism, edited by Erkan Toğuşlu and Johan Leman, 1st ed., 91–100. Dynamics in the West and in the Middle East. Leuven University Press, 2014.

Zihnioğlu, Özge. EU–Turkey Relations: Civil Society and Depoliticization. Routledge Studies in European Foreign Policy. Routledge, 2019.

Downloads

Published

2024-11-30

How to Cite

Taufiq, F., Burdah, I., & Ikhwan, M. (2024). Erdogan’s Politics of Domination: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Neo-Ottomanism. Al-Tahrir: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 24(2), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.21154/altahrir.v24i2.9701

Issue

Section

Articles