Abstract
This article explores the construction of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Turkish official discourse. In the article, I employ critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyze written texts produced during the years 2014–2019 that reflect the position of the Turkish authorities. The article sets out the main narratives that construct the PYD and YPG as terrorist organizations and posits them as a threat to both Turkey and the international community. The analysis reveals that these narratives serve the purpose of delegitimizing the PYD and YPG and legitimizing Turkish military operations and violations against Syrian Kurds. It highlights that the Turkish official position regarding the PYD and YPG is driven by two ideological factors: first, the influence of Kurdish autonomy in Syria on the action of Kurds in Turkey, and second, the barrier that the PYD and YPG have created against the Islamist agenda of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Syria.
Highlights
This article explores the construction of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Turkish official discourse
The narrative of terrorism and its associated terms and constructions have become omnipresent in the discourse of the Turkish authorities headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP, Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi: in Turkish)
The analysis reveals that, in addition to the structures and terms of ‘terrorism,’ ‘terrorist,’ and ‘terror,’ Turkish official texts contain various terms and structures of condemnation and criminalization against PYD-YPG such as “murderers,” “lowlifes,” “bloodstained,” and
Summary
This article explores the construction of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Turkish official discourse. It highlights that the Turkish official position regarding the PYD and YPG is driven by two ideological factors: first, the influence of Kurdish autonomy in Syria on the action of Kurds in Turkey, and second, the barrier that the PYD and YPG have created against the Islamist agenda of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Syria. THE DEMOCRATIC UNION PARTY (PYD) IN TURKISH DISCOURSE que reflejan la posición de las autoridades turcas durante los años 2014–2019. The Turkish official narrative of terrorism has extended beyond the Turkish border to
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