The asylum issue and political mass education in Turkey: How the government imposed the acceptance of Syrian refugees on Turkish citizens?

Abstract

When governments make far-reaching but unpopular decisions, they may resort to political mass education, in which they impose new political orientations on their constituency. This paper enquires into a process of political mass education that unfolded when Turkey accepted an ever-growing number of refugees from civil-war-battered Syria after 2011. In spite of Turkish society’s overall negative attitude toward Arabs, the Turkish government, along with pro-government mass media outlets, succeeded in preventing major acts of violence against Syrian refugees and in persuading Turkish citizens to accept them. By drawing on a discourse analysis, the paper sheds light on the devices and strategies used throughout this educational process.

Keywords

• Refugee,Turkey,Syria,political mass education,public discourse

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