Rise of Xenophobic Populism In Turkish Politics

Year 2024, Volume: 13 Issue: 3, 99 - 122, 01.09.2024

Baki Laleoğlu

https://doi.org/10.36360/1560-013-003-005

Abstract

After the Syrian Civil War, Türkiye became the primary destination for Syrian migrants. However, the sudden and intense influx of foreign migrants has brought with it several problems for Turkish society. Opposition elites, who have struggled to succeed against the AK Party and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for years, sought to capitalize on this situation. They aimed to achieve electoral success by adopting European-style xenophobic populist strategies and rhetoric. Consequently, this has led to the rise of xenophobic populism in Turkish politics. In parallet, this study aims to address three main questions: (i) How has xenophobic populism emerged as a political movement in Türkiye? (ii) how does academic liteature review xenophobic populism in Türkiye? (iii) How is xenophobic populism produced within political discourse?

Keywords

Xenophobic Populism, Türkiye, Turkish Politics, Syria, Anti-immigrant

صعود الشعبوية المعادية للأجانب في السياسة التركية

Abstract

بعد اندلاع الحرب الأهلية في سوريا، أصبحت تركيا الوجهة الأولى للاجئين السوريين، ولكن أدى التدفق المفاجئ والكبير للاجئين الأجانب إلى تركيا إلى ظهور بعض المشكلات في المجتمع التركي. وقد حاولت النخب المعارضة التي أخفقت سنوات عديدة أمام حزب العدالة والتنمية والرئيس رجب طيب أردوغان استغلال هذه الفرصة لمصلحتها؛ حيث سعت إلى تحقيق النجاح في الانتخابات باستخدام إستراتيجيات وخطابات قومية معادية للأجانب، على غرار ما يحدث في أوروبا. ونتيجة لذلك، شهدت السياسة التركية صعودًا للتيار القومي الشعبوي المعادي للأجانب. تسعى هذه الدراسة إلى الإجابة عن ثلاثة أسئلة محورية في هذا السياق: كيف ظهر التيار القومي الشعبوي المعادي للأجانب بوصفه تيارًا سياسيًّا في تركيا؟ ما وضعُ الدراسات الأكاديمية المتعلقة بهذا التيار في تركيا؟ كيف يجري إنتاج هذا الخطاب المعادي للأجانب في السياق السياسي؟

Keywords

القومية الشعبوية المعادية للأجانب, تركيا, السياسة التركية, سوريا, معاداة اللاجئين

References

• Ahmet Kaya, “The World’s Leading Refugee Host, Turkey Has a Complex Migration History”, Migration Policy Institute, 1 Kasım 2023, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/turkey-migration-history, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• Kemal Kirişçi, “The Rise and Fall of Turkey as a Model for the Arab World”, Brookings, 15 Ağustos 2013, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-rise-and-fall-of-turkey-as-a-model-for-the-arab-world/, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• Bülent Aras ve Sevgi Akarçeşme, “Turkey And The Arab Spring”, International Journal, Cilt:67, No:1, (2011), s. 39-51.
• “Syria Regional Refugee Response”, UNHCR Operational Data Portal, 30 Haziran 2024, https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• “President Erdoğan: Turkey Will Continue Open-Door Policy For Syrian Refugees”, Daily Sabah, 13 Mart 2016.
• Nilay Kar Onum, “Erdogan Vows To Rescue Syrian 'Brothers' From Terror”, Anadolu Ajansı, 25 Mart 2018.
• “President Erdoğan Shares Fast Breaking Dinner with Refugees at Midyat Accommodation Center”, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlığı, 20 Haziran 2015, https://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/news/542/32770/president-erdogan-shares-fast-breaking-dinner-with-refugees-at-midyat-accommodation-center, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• “The Unresponsiveness Of The West Against The Tragedy Of The East Wounds The Consciences”, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlığı, 23 Ekim 2014, https://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/news/542/3313/the-unresponsiveness-of-the-west-against-the-tragedy-of-the-east-wounds-the-consciences, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• “EU-Turkey Statement and Action Plan”, European Parliament, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/carriage/eu-turkey-statement-action-plan/report?sid=8201, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• “CHP Chairman Suggests Turkey Gives €6B To EU To Take All Refugees”, Daily Sabah, 11 Mart 2016.
• Cas Mudde, “The Populist Zeitgeist”, Government and Opposition, Cilt: 39, No: 4, (2004), s.544.
• Cas Mudde, Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe, (Cambridge University Press, 2007), s.12.
• Joost Van Spanje, “The Wrong And The Right: A Comparative Analysis Of ‘Anti-Immigration’ And ‘Far Right’ Parties”, Government And Opposition, Cilt:46, Sayı:3, (2011), s.298-300; Arie Perliger, “Challengers From The Sidelines Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right”, The Combating Terrorism Center At West Point, (2012), https://ctc.westpoint.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ChallengersFromtheSidelines.pdf, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024), s.13-14.
• Pippa Norris ve Ronald Inglehart, Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, And Authoritarian Populism, (Cambridge University Press, UK: 2019); Competitive Authoritarianism | Hybrid Regimes After The Cold War, ed. Keith Darden ve Ian Shapiro, (Cambridge University Press, UK: 2010).
• Richard A. Deangelis, “A Rising Tide For Jean-Marie, Jörg, And Pauline? Xenophobic Populism In Comparative Perspective”, Australian Journal of Politics and History, Cilt: 49, Sayı:1, (2003), s.75-76; Florian Hartleb, “The Rise of New-Populism in Europe and Asia”, The Economist, (2023).
• Prentoulis, “Left Populism in Europe”; Yannis Stavrakakis ve Giorgos Katsambekis, “Left-Wing Populism in The European Periphery: The Case Of Syriza”, Journal of Political Ideologies, Cilt:19, Sayı:2, (2014), s. 119-142.
• Cas Mudde ve Cristobal Laltwasser, “Populism: A Very Short Introduction”, Oxford University Press, (2017), s.34-36; Sertan Akbaba, “Re-narrating Europe in the Face of Populism: An Analysis of the Anti-immigration Discourse of Populist Party Leaders”, Insight Turkey, Cilt: 20, Sayı: 3, (2018), s. 204-207.
• Robin Cohen, Migration and its Enemies | Global Capital, Mignant Labour and The Nation-State, (Ashgate Publishing Company, İngiltere: 2006); Michael Oswald, Mario Schäfer ve Elena Broda, “The New Age of Populism: Reapproaching a Diffuse Concept”, The Palgrave Handbook of Populism, ed. Michael Oswald, (Palgrave Macmillan: 2022), s. 202; Anti-System Parties | From Parliamentary Breakthrough To Government, ed. Roger Eatwell, Matthew Goodwin ve Cas Mudde, (Routledge Taylor and Francis, NewYork: 2019), s.158-159.
• Cas Mudde ve Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser, “Exclusionary vs. Inclusionary Populism:Comparing Contemporary Europe And Latin America”, Government and Opposition, Cilt: 48, Sayı:2, (2013), s.147-174; The Oxford Handbook of Populism, ed. Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo ve Pierre Ostiguy, (Oxford University Press, UK: 2017), s. 205.
• Ali Rattansi, Racism: A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford University Press: 2020), s.156; Ulrike M Vieten ve Scott Poynting, “Contemporary Far-Right Racist Populism in Europe”, Journal of Intercultural Studies, Cilt: 37, Sayı: 6, (2016).
• Christel Kesler, “Left-Wing Xenophobia in Europe”, Frontiers in Sociology, Cilt:6, (2021); Georgia Dimari, “The Securitization Of Migration in Greece 2011-2019: A Discourse And Practice Analysis”, European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and Mentalities, Cilt:9, Sayı:4, (2020); Marina Prentoulis, Left Populism in Europe; Lessons from Jeremy Corbyn to Podemos, (Pluto Press: 2021); Dimitris Skleparis, “The Greek Response To The Migration Challenge: 2015-2017, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Cilt:5, (2017).
• “Geçici Koruma”, T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, 25 Temmuz 2024, https://www.goc.gov.tr/gecici-koruma5638, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• CHP Göç ve Göçmen Sorunlarını İnceleme Komisyonu, CHP Göç ve Göçmen Sorunlarını İnceleme Komisyonu Mülteci Raporu, (CHP, Ankara: 2016).
• Europe Report N°241, “Turkey’s Refugee Crisis: The Politics of Permanence”, International Crisis Group, (2016).
• Europe Report N°241, “Turkey’s Refugee Crisis: The Politics of Permanence”, International Crisis Group, (2016).
• Bekir Özipek, “CHP ve Suriyeli Sığınmacılar: Ayrımcılık, Ötekileştirme ve Nefret Üretiminin Politik Dili”, Haziran 2021, https://www.sivilsayfalar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/chp-raporu-bekir-berat-o%CC%88zipek-.pdf, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024), s. 8-9.
• Cas Mudde, “The Single-Issue Party Thesis: Extreme Right Parties And The Immigration Issue”, West European Politics, Cilt:22, Sayı:3, (1999), s. 182-197.
• Baki Laleoğlu, “Türkiye’de Muhalefet ve Zenofobik Popülizm”, Kriter, Sayı: 69, (2022).
• Baki Laleoğlu, “Türkiye Siyasetin Yeni Tehlike: Zenofobik Popülizm”, Sabah Perspektif, 23 Eylül 2023.
• Populism Around the World: A Comparative Perspective, ed. Daniel Stockemer, (Springer, Aargau: 2019).
• Cemil Boyraz, “Populism and Democracy in Turkey: The Case Of The Republican People’s Party”, Reflektif, Cilt:1, (2020), s. 31-47.
• Gülüm Şener, Hakan Yücel ve Umur Yedikardeş, “Toward a New Left-Populist Rhetoric in Turkey, Discourse Analysis of İmamoğlu’s Campaign”, Hate Speech and Polarization in Participatory Society, ed. Marta Pérez-Escolar ve José Manuel Noguera-Vivo, (Routledge, London: 2021).
• Sefa Seçen, Serhun Al ve Bekir Arslan, “Electoral Dynamics, New Nationalisms, And Party Positions on Syrian Refugee in Turkey”, Turkish Studies, Cilt:25, Sayı:3, (2024), s.419-449.
• Ezgi Irgil ve Kelsey P. Norman, “Assessing The Domestic Political Impacts Of Turkey’s Refugee Commodition”, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, (2024), https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2332747.
• Irgil ve Norman, “Assessing The Domestic Political Impacts Of Turkey’s Refugee Commodition”, s.11.
• Irgil ve Norman, “Assessing The Domestic Political Impacts Of Turkey’s Refugee Commodition”, s.12-13.
• Onur Alp Yılmaz, “How Social Democrats Have Reacted To Migrants: Turkish And German Samples”, Kırklareli University Journal of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Cilt:12, Sayı:1, (2023).
• M. Murat Erdoğan, “Revisiting Migration in International Relations”, Uluslararası İlişkiler Konseyi İktisadi İşletmesi, Cilt:17, Sayı:68, (2020), s.73-92.
• Evren Balta, Ezgi Elçi ve Deniz Sert, “Political Party Representation of Anti-immigration Attitudes: The Case of Turkey”, The Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey Representation, (2022), https://tr.boell.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/hbs-eng-son.pdf, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• Evren Balta, Ezgi Elçi ve Deniz Sert, “The 2023 Election And Migration Debate in Turkey”, The Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey Representation, (2023), https://tr.boell.org/sites/default/files/2023-11/the-2023-elections-and-migration-debate-in-turkey-report.pdf, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• “Kılıçdaroğlu’ndan Suriyelileri Gönderme Vaadi”, Sabah, 23 Nisan 2024.
• Murat Küçük ve Bülent Diktepe, “Meral Akşener: Suriye Politikasını Değiştireceğim”, Hürriyet, 16 Haziran 2024.
• Ümit Özdağ, X, https://x.com/umitozdag, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024)
• Elif Er ve Celal Atalay, “Meral Akşener: 2026’da Tüm Suriyelileri Memleketlerine Kavuşturmuş Olacağız”, Milliyet, 6 Eylül 2022.
• “Kılıçdaroğlu: 2 Yıl İçinde Suriyeli Kardeşlerimizi Ülkelerine Uğurlayacağız”, TRT Haber, 1 Mayıs 2023.
• “Özdağ Kararını Erteledi: Kılıçdaroğlu’yla Tekrar Görüşecek”, Diken, 23 Mayıs 2023.
• “Akşener: Suriyelilerin Tamamı 2 Yılda Ülkelerine Gidecek”, Hürriyet, 1 Mayıs 2023.
• “Kılıçdaroğlu ve Özdağ’dan yedi maddelik protokol”, Medyascope, 24 Mayıs 2023.
• “CHP Genel Başkanı Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, Mersin İl Başkanlığı Yeni Hizmet Binası Açılış Töreninde Konuştu”, CHP, 14 Mayıs 2018, https://www.chp.org.tr/haberler/chp-genel-baskani-kemal-kilicdaroglu-mersin-il-baskanligi-yeni-hizmet-binasi-acilis-toreninde-konustu-14-mayis-2018?q=burnumuzun%20dibinde, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024).
• “Meral Akşener: Suriyelilere Para Var Ama Emeklilere Bulunamıyor”, Sözcü, 5 Mart 2024.
• “Özdağ: Yurdunu Savun, Ülkende İkinci Sınıf Vatandaş Olma”, Sözcü, 29 Mayıs 2024.
• “Geçici Koruma”, T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı, 25 Temmuz 2024, https://www.goc.gov.tr/gecici-koruma5638, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• “Kılıçdaroğlu: 10 Milyon Suriyeli Yetmedi 20 Milyon Daha Mı?”, Tele1, 21 Mayıs 2023.
• “Meral Akşener: Suriyelilerin Tamamı 2 Yılda Ülkelerine Gidecek”, Hürriyet, 1 Mayıs 2023.
• “Özdağ: ‘13 Milyon Yabancı Var. 5 Milyonu Suriyeli Sığınmacı’ Göç İdaresi: ‘Yasal Kalan Toplam Yabancı 4,5 Milyon, 3 Milyonu Suriyeli’”, Serbestiyet, 16 Temmuz 2024.
• “CHP Genel Başkanı Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, TBMM CHP Grup Toplantısında Konuştu”, CHP, 18 Haziran 2019, https://chp.org.tr/haberler/chp-genel-baskani-kemal-kilicdaroglu-tbmm-chp-grup-toplantisinda-konustu-18-haziran-2019, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• “İYİ Parti Lideri Akşener: Bu Doğum Hızıyla 2053 Yılında Nüfusun 35 Milyonu Suriyelilerden Oluşacak”, Politik Yol, 1 Ağustos 2024.
• Cansu Çamlıbel, “Ümit Özdağ: Eski Bir AKP’li Bakan AKP’nin ‘Karanlık İlişkileri’ Diye Nitelenen Dosyayı Bahçeli’ye Takdim Etmiş; Bahçeli Erdoğan’ı Tehdit Etti!”, T24, 15 Temmuz 2024. “CHP Genel Başkanı Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, TBMM CHP Grup Toplantısında Konuştu”, CHP, 10 Mayıs 2022, https://chp.org.tr/haberler/chp-genel-baskani-kemal-kilicdaroglu-tbmm-chp-grup-toplantisinda-konustu-10-mayis-2022, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• Now Haber, Youtube, 14 Şubat 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tln32wXioA, (Erişim Tarihi: 1 Ağustos 2024)
• CHP, X, 19 Haziran 2019, https://x.com/herkesicinCHP/status/1141281250507993088, (Erişim Tarihi: 2 Ağustos 2024).
• Tarık Abou-Chadi ve Markus Wagner, “Electoral Fortunes Of Social Democratic Parties: Do Second Dimension Positions Matter?”, Journal Of European Public Policy, Cilt:27, Sayı:2, (2020), s. 254; Ian P. McManus ve Michelle Falkenbach, “A Hollow Victory: Understanding the Anti-Immigration Shift of Denmark’s Social Democrats”, Journal of Contemporary European Research, Cilt:18, Sayı:1, (2022).
• Abou-Chadi ve Wagner, “Electoral Fortunes Of Social Democratic Parties: Do Second Dimension Positions Matter?”.
• Rouya Turkiyyah, vol. 7, no. 2, 2018. https://rouyaturkiyyah.com/
• Evren Balta, Ezgi Elçi ve Deniz Sert, “The 2023 Election And Migration Debate in Turkey”, s.9.
• Baki Laleoğlu, “Türkiye Siyasetin Yeni Tehlike: Zenofobik Popülizm”, Sabah Perspektif, 23 Eylül 2023.
• Laleoğlu, Türkiye’de Muhalefet ve Zenofobik Popülizm.