‘Populism as a medium of mass mobilization’: The case of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Abstract

It goes without saying that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has put his mark on the last 14 years of Turkish politics. The main argument of this study is that the case of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan provides an illustrative example to make sense of populism as a medium of mass mobilization. Furthermore, it is argued that Erdoğan’s leadership can be best understood by taking into account how he manages political crises. Accordingly, through the examples of 2007, 2013 and 2016, which mark critical periods in Turkish politics, the article attempts to highlight the major characteristics of Erdoğan’s populist leadership.