Zeyneb Gözen | London School of Economics and Political Science (original) (raw)
Political sociologist interested in identity politics and cultural representations of the Middle East
less
Uploads
Thesis Chapters by Zeyneb Gözen
Competing Occidentalisms: The Construction(s) of The West and The Binary-Self During Turkey's European Accession Process, 2021
Occidentalism, as an umbrella term for various stereotyped images of the West in the East, stands... more Occidentalism, as an umbrella term for various stereotyped images of the West in the East, stands Orientalism’s, conceptualised by Said (1979), counterpart. The present study examines Occidentalism in the case of Turkey by focusing on the political and intellectual elites’ narratives and representations around the West during Turkey’s European Accession process in 2004. To provide a deeper conceptual understanding on the literature around Occidentalism, this project examines two competing and hegemonic ideologies of the given time in Turkey. In doing so, it contrasts and compares two ideologies’ constructions of the West as well as illustrating how each ideology simultaneously builds each other. The study, analysing the role of social actors in influencing the images of the West, engages in critical discourse analysis by taking political magazines of the time as a qualitative methodology. Ultimately, this research concludes that the construction of the external Other is a simultaneous process in building not only the self but also the internal other. Rather than being a negative or positive term, Occidentalism is an empty concept fueled by internal power relations to serve the aims of political elites; thus, rejections and negotiations with the West enable actualising the given political motivations.
Competing Occidentalisms: The Construction(s) of The West and The Binary-Self During Turkey's European Accession Process, 2021
Occidentalism, as an umbrella term for various stereotyped images of the West in the East, stands... more Occidentalism, as an umbrella term for various stereotyped images of the West in the East, stands Orientalism’s, conceptualised by Said (1979), counterpart. The present study examines Occidentalism in the case of Turkey by focusing on the political and intellectual elites’ narratives and representations around the West during Turkey’s European Accession process in 2004. To provide a deeper conceptual understanding on the literature around Occidentalism, this project examines two competing and hegemonic ideologies of the given time in Turkey. In doing so, it contrasts and compares two ideologies’ constructions of the West as well as illustrating how each ideology simultaneously builds each other. The study, analysing the role of social actors in influencing the images of the West, engages in critical discourse analysis by taking political magazines of the time as a qualitative methodology. Ultimately, this research concludes that the construction of the external Other is a simultaneous process in building not only the self but also the internal other. Rather than being a negative or positive term, Occidentalism is an empty concept fueled by internal power relations to serve the aims of political elites; thus, rejections and negotiations with the West enable actualising the given political motivations.