“Strong, but Anxious State”: The Fantasmatic Narratives on Ontological Insecurity and Anxiety in Turkey
Abstract
The political discourse on the problem of state survival in Turkey is hegemonic. What is central to this discourse is Sévresphobia: the idea that Turkey is surrounded by internal and external enemies who are ready to destroy it. This article aims to explain why the political discourse on the problem of state survival in Turkey sustains itself over time and how it captures the collective mode of being. The article argues that fantasmatic narratives play an important role in maintaining the hegemonic discourse and governing collective anxiety. First, fantasmatic narratives simplify the socio-political space by offering a comforting explanation for the ongoing insecurities and making anxiety tolerable. Second, they act as an ideological force by keeping the political dimension of the discourse on ontological security at bay. Drawing on the Post-foundational Theory of Discourse (PTD) and Ontological Security Theory (OST), the article problematizes and analyzes the political discourse on the problem of state survival in Turkey.
Keywords
Ontological Security, Discourse, Sévresphobia, Hegemony, The Problem of State Survival
References
- “Millions Stand for Democracy in Turkey” (5 August 2016). Hurriyet, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/millions-standfor-democracy-in-turkey-102510 (Accessed 25 February 2022).
- “The Issue is about Turkey, not Me” (26 August 2018). Hurriyet, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-the-issueis-about-turkey-not-me-13615 (Accessed 25 February 2022).
- “Üst Akıl Belgeseli” (22 March 2015). A Haber, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1Z9PBoO8I (Accessed 25 February 2022).
- Adisonmez, Umut Can (2019). “When Conflict Traumas Fragment: Investigating the Sociopsychological Roots of Turkey’s Intractable Conflict”, Political Psychology, Vol. 40, No 6, p. 1373-1390.
- Adisonmez, Umut Can and Recep Onursal (2020). “Governing Anxiety, Trauma and Crisis: The Political Discourse on Ontological (In)Security after the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey”, Middle East Critique, Vol. 29, No 3, p. 291-306.
- Aydın, Mustafa et al. (2021). “Turkish Foreign Policy Public Perception Survey 2021”, İstanbul, https://www.khas.edu. tr/en/arastirma/khasta-arastirma/khas-arastirmalari/turk-dis-politikasi-kamuoyu-algilari-arastirmasi-2021 (Accessed: 12 Dec 2021).
- Berenskötter, Felix (2020). “Anxiety, Time, and Agency”, International Theory, Vol. 12, No 2, p. 273-290.
- Browning, Christopher (2018). “’Je suis en Terrasse’: Political Violence, Civilizational Politics, and the Everyday Courage to Be”, Political Psychology, Vol. 39, No 2, p. 243-261.
- Eberle, Jakub (2019). “Narrative, Desire, Ontological Security, Transgression: Fantasy as a Factor in International Politics”, Journal of International Relations and Development, Vol. 22, No 1, p. 243–268.
- Eberle, Jakub and Daniel, Jan (2019). “Putin, You Suck”: Affective Sticking Points in the Czech Narrative on “Russian Hybrid Warfare”, Political Psychology, Vol. 40, No 6, p. 1267-1281.