ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSES OF POLITICAL ACTORS IN TURKEY REGARDING SYRIAN REFUGEES IN THE NATIONAL PRESS

Abstract

After the protest movements, which are described as the "Arab Spring", spread to Syria since the beginning of 2011, an important part of the Syrians, who had to leave their country with the civil war, took shelter in Turkey. Turkey has implemented an open door policy within the framework of humanitarian sensitivities in the face of this crisis. However, it did not remain indifferent to this influx for historical, religious and cultural reasons and tried to provide all necessary assistance from the very first moment.In the last ten years, the number of people who took refuge in Turkey has reached 4 million. This study focuses on the discourses of political actors in the national press regarding Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey. In this context, the news with the keywords “Syria” and “Syrians” in the newspapers YeniŞafak, Cumhuriyet and Hürriyet throughout 2017, when intense discussions were experienced in all areas regarding Syrian refugees, was analyzed by Van Dijk's discourse analysis method. According to the main findings of the study, it is seen that the discourses of political actors related to Syrians under temporary protection are shaped within the framework of discussions on living together, cooperation, economic burden, national threat and citizenship. In this context, it is understood that there are critical differences in the discourses of political actors belonging to the government and opposition.