LOCAL PRESS AS THE CO-PRODUCER OF NATIONAL IMAGINATION: THE CASE OF HATAY (1936-1939)

Date

2025-4-7

Author

NAMLI , KAAN

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While most literature on Hatay in the early republican era concentrates on top-down national narratives and elite-driven perspectives, this thesis shifts the focus towards a sociohistorical exploration at the local level. It analyzes the coverage of the Hatay issue in five provincial newspapers—Ulus Sesi Mardin, Doğu Erzurum, Yeniyol Trabzon, Yeni Mersin Mersin, and Türk Sözü Adana. This study employs a qualitative content analysis of articles, editorials, and opinion pieces to illustrate how these newspapers managed the balance between Ankaras state-driven narratives and the localized concerns of their readers. The findings indicate that although these regional press outlets generally advocated for the national effort to reclaim Hatay, their editorial perspectives and framing of the issue were influenced by local socio-political contexts. Each newspaper uniquely appropriated the Hatay discourse to reflect regional identities and histories, thereby playing an active role in the dynamic negotiation and construction of Hatays Turkish national identity at the grassroots level. This thesis uncovers the nuanced ways in which local narratives not only supported but also amplified and redefined the official discourse, contributing to a complex, multi-faceted process of nation-building in Turkey. This investigation into the regional press coverage of Hatay offers new insights into the decentralized expressions of nationalism, challenging the monolithic portrayal of national identity construction in early Republican Turkey. It underscores the critical role of local press as both a channel and an active agent in the interaction between national imperatives and regional identities, highlighting the diverse interpretations and implications of Hatays Turkishness across different localities of the early republican era.

Subject Keywords

Hatay, National Identity, Local Press, Early Republican Turkey, Nationalism

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114055

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis