Woman’s Identity as a Field of Ontological (In)Security: Populist Discourse and Integrated Threats

Öz

The polarizing discourse established by populism between the “real people” and “others” frequently positions gender roles and women’s identity at the center of a political battleground. Within this framework, this study examines how populist actors construct women’s identity as a threat while simultaneously instrumentalizing it as a fragile value that must be protected. Ontological security refers to the fundamental trust that individuals and groups place in the stability of their identities and existential continuity. Populist politics, by presenting traditional family structures and gender roles as the cornerstone of national identity, labels women who do not conform to these norms or who challenge them—along with feminist movements—as a “threat”. This situation undermines women’s ontological security, as the relevant discourses continually push their identities, self-perceptions, and social roles into a realm of interrogation and insecurity. Integrated Threat Theory provides a significant analytical foundation for understanding this process. Populist discourse encodes women’s demands for emancipation and any movement that questions gender-based power hierarchies as a symbolic threat to the in-group’s (the people’s) values, traditions, and way of life. Stephan and Stephan’s theory elucidates how this perception of symbolic threat fuels prejudice and hostility toward the out-group (progressive women or feminists). Furthermore, women’s participation in the workforce and/or their political demands are sometimes portrayed in populist rhetoric as a realistic threat to the national economy and/or demographic structure. These threat perceptions reinforce intergroup anxiety and negative stereotypes, thereby deepening security risks to women’s identity and leaving women confronted with heightened pressure in both public and private spheres. Consequently, the environment of ontological insecurity engendered by populist politics renders women's identity the target of a multilayered threat perception.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Populist politics
• woman’s identity
• ontological security
• realistic threat
• symbolic threat

Etik Beyan

This paper is an expanded version of the abstract presented under the title 'Popülist Siyaset ve Kadın Kimliğine Yönelik Güvenlik Tehditleri' at the 4th National Political Science Congress, held by the Turkish Political Science Association at İzmir University of Economics on September 20–21, 2025. It has been detailed and revised within the framework of the feedback received during the congress.

Bir Ontolojik Güven(siz)lik Alanı Olarak Kadın Kimliği: Popülist Söylem ve Entegre Tehditler

Öz

Popülizmin, “gerçek halk” ve “ötekiler” arasında kurduğu kutuplaştırıcı söylemi, toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini ve kadın kimliğini sıklıkla siyasi bir mücadele alanının merkezine yerleştirmektedir. Bu çerçevede bu çalışma, popülist aktörlerin kadın kimliğini hem bir “tehdit” unsuru olarak nasıl inşa ettiğini hem de onu “korunması gereken” kırılgan bir değer olarak nasıl araçsallaştırdığını incelemektedir. Ontolojik güvenlik, bireylerin ve grupların kimliklerinin ve varoluşsal sürekliliklerinin istikrarına duydukları temel güveni ifade eder. Popülist siyaset, geleneksel aile yapılarını ve toplumsal cinsiyet rollerini ulusal kimliğin temel taşı olarak sunarak, bu normlara uymayan veya bu normlara meydan okuyan kadınları ve feminist hareketleri bir tehdit olarak etiketler. Bu durum, kadınların ontolojik güvenliğini sarsmaktadır; çünkü ilgili söylemlerle kimlikleri, benlik algıları ve toplumsal rolleri sürekli bir sorgulama ve güvensizlik alanına itilmektedir. Entegre Tehdit Teorisi, bu süreci anlamak için güçlü bir analitik zemin sunmaktadır. Popülist söylem, kadınların özgürleşme taleplerini ve toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı güç hiyerarşilerini sorgulayan her türlü hareketi, iç grubun (yani, halkın) değerlerine, geleneklerine ve yaşam tarzına yönelik bir sembolik tehdit olarak kodlamaktadır. Stephan ve Stephan’ın teorisi, bu sembolik tehdit algısının, dış gruba (yani, ilerici kadınlara ve/veya feministlere) yönelik ön yargıyı ve düşmanlığı nasıl körüklediğini açıklamaktadır. Ayrıca, kadınların iş gücüne katılımı ve/veya siyasi talepleri, popülist retorikte bazen ulusal ekonomiye ve/veya demografik yapıya yönelik bir gerçekçi tehdit olarak da sunulabilmektedir. Bu tehdit algıları, gruplar arası kaygıyı ve negatif stereotipleri pekiştirerek kadın kimliğine yönelik güvenlik risklerini derinleştirmekte ve kadınları hem kamusal hem de özel alanda artan bir baskıyla karşı karşıya bırakmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, popülist siyasetin yarattığı ontolojik güvensizlik ortamı, kadın kimliğini çok katmanlı bir tehdit algısının hedefi haline getirmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Popülist siyaset
• kadın kimliği
• ontolojik güvenlik
• gerçekçi tehdit
• sembolik tehdit

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışma, Siyasi İlimler Türk Derneği tarafından 20-21 Eylül 2025’te İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi’nde gerçekleştirilen 4. Ulusal Siyaset Bilimi Kongresi’nde “Popülist Siyaset ve Kadın Kimliğine Yönelik Güvenlik Tehditleri” başlığıyla sunulan özet bildirinin, genişletilmiş ve kongre süresince gelen geri bildirimler çerçevesinde detaylandırılmış versiyonudur.

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