Introduction: The Historical and Ideological Context of Anti-Westernism in Turkey

Date

2026-01-01

Author

Dağı, İhsan Duran
Öztürk, Ahmet Erdi

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This chapter introduces anti-Westernism in Turkey not as simply a conjunctural reaction to Western policies but as deeply embedded in the making of Turkish identity and (in)security. Shaped by collective memories of loss, dismemberment, and occupation in the early twentieth century, all associated with the West, and the resulting deep mistrust, anti-Westernism has become a persistent discourse through which domestic political conflicts, collective anxieties, and claims of authenticity are articulated. As such, anti-Westernism has been a cross-ideological repertoire that mobilizes public, securitizes politics, and translates domestic contention into narratives of external threat. By tracing its manifestations across ideological divides and political movements as well as public opinion, the chapters in this book show how anti-Westernism has shaped Turkish politics from empire to republic and how it has been reactivated, radicalized, and normalized under AKP rule.

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https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105043968598&origin=inward
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119917

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Department of International Relations, Book / Book chapter