The theme of Jewish conspiracy in Turkish nationalism: the case of Cevat Rifat Atilhan

Download

index.pdf

Date

2008

Author

Karaca, Özen

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

456
views

116
downloads

This study analyzes the discourse of Cevat Rıfat Atilhan, a leading anti-Semite figure and a conspiracy theorist in Turkish politics. The principal aim of this analysis is to shed light on Atilhan’s conspiratorial mindset which has a considerable influence on anti-Semitism in contemporary Turkey. To this aim, conspiracy theories and anti-Semitism, two main components of Atilhan’s discourse are examined in relation to each other from the perspective of nationalist discourse. This study argues that conspiracy theories in Atilhan's discourse which explain social antagonism as a Jewish plot can be considered as instruments to the reproduction of anti-Semitism. Accordingly, the inherent mechanisms of conspiracy theories which rest on the racist and xenophobic brand of nationalism represent the society on the basis of dichotomies. In Atilhan’s discourse, this dichotomization is based on the positioning of the Jews vis-à-vis Turkish nation. To the extent that the Jews are represented as enemies vis-à-vis Turkish nation, anti-Semitism becomes likely to be reproduced. The theme of Jewish conspiracy in Atilhan’s discourse is better explained by his different positions within Turkish nationalism ranging from Kemalism to racism, from racism to Islamism and conservative tones of nationalism. When his changing positions is examined in relation to the theme of Jewish conspiracy in his discourse, it is realized that Atilhan’s discourse have a considerable influence on the discourse of ultra-nationalist, conservative nationalist and Islamist circles whose way of thinking is dominated by conspiracy theories.

Subject Keywords

Political science.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12609505/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/18076

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

The Political Discourse of the Azerbaijani Elite on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (1991-2009) Tokluoğlu, Ayşe Ceylan (Informa UK Limited, 2011-01-01) This article attempts to analyse the political discourse of some of the Azerbaijani elite on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the lens of the views of leading members of Azerbaijani society. The information is based on personal interviews conducted with some influential members of the Azerbaijani political society in Baku in December 2001 and April 2009. The focus of the study was to analyse how Azerbaijanis (re) construct their ideas about Armenian identity and community. The Azerbaijani narration of ...
Peculiarism in the Turkish Left during the 1960’s Tunçer, Ayşe İrem; Erdoğan, Necmi; Department of Political Science and Public Administration (2008) In this study, the Turkish left in the 1960s is discussed in the light of the term peculiarism. This is done on the basis of three groups of the Turkish left in the period, namely the Yön journal, the MDD group and the TİP with specific reference to Mehmet Ali Aybar. The main premises of the term peculiarism are considered to be nationalism, Kemalism, developmentalism or non-capitalist path of development, the idea of a “popular national front” and anti-imperialism. Accordingly, each group is discussed on t...
The Turkish Parliamentary Elite and the EU: Mapping Attitudes towards the European Union AKSIT, Sait; Şenyuva, Özgehan; Gurleyen, Isik (Informa UK Limited, 2011-01-01) This study aims to map out the opinions and attitudes of the Turkish parliamentary elite regarding Turkey's membership of the European Union in general and the future of Europe in particular. The parliamentary elite group consists of political party representatives present in the current Turkish Grand National Assembly. The study uses the findings of the Turkish Elite Survey 2009 conducted by the Center for European Studies, Middle East Technical University. The article argues that while Turkish parliamenta...
The resistance committees : Devrimci Yol and the question of revolutionary organization in Turkey in the late 1970s Bozkurt, Sümercan; Erdoğan, Necmi; Department of Political Science and Public Administration (2008) This thesis aims to examine the experiences of the resistance committees organized by a revolutionary Movement, Devrimci Yol (Revolutionary Way), in Turkey in the late 1970s. More specifically it focuses on Devrimci Yol’s formulations concerning the issue of revolutionary organization, how it and the resistance committee experiences within their contexts- embodied the tension between being organized in accordance with initiating change within the social relations of everyday life and being organized in acco...
A Historical Materialist Analysis of Turkish Foreign Policy: Class, State, and Hegemony Yalvaç, Faruk (Uluslararasi Iliskiler Dergisi, 2016-01-01) This article aims to develop a historical materialist analysis to analyse Turkish Foreign Policy (TFP) as part of what I refer to as critical foreign policy studies. The paper utilises a critical political economy approach to TFP based on the Gramscian concept of hegemony and extends it to analyse different foreign policy strategies as hegemonic projects developed by ruling capital classes to sustain their rule. The paper also presents the concept of hegemonic depth to resolve the antinomies involved in und...

Citation Formats

Ö. Karaca, “The theme of Jewish conspiracy in Turkish nationalism: the case of Cevat Rifat Atilhan,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2008.