Turkish nationalism after the 15 July coup attempt: the making of a new political myth

Abstract

ABSTRACT The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) responded to the violent coup attempt of 15 July 2016 with calls for a second ‘national war of liberation’ and declared a state of emergency that was upheld for 2 years. Drawing on the methodology of the Essex School, Barthes semiology and recent applications of securitization theory, this study investigates the construction of the myth of ‘15 July’. Through an analysis of educational media, we show how the official narration of ‘15 July’ moved religious signifiers into the center of a distinctively religious-populist version of Turkish nationalism. The findings demonstrate that the political myth of ‘15 July’ is essentially based on a cyclical conception of history and two sub-myths that reflect heroization and demonization: First, the myth of the heroic citizens, who sacrifice their lives for defending freedom of nation and homeland. Second, the myth of the always returning enemy that seeks to enslave and occupy the homeland by using collaborators. Woven together, these narratives produce ‘15 July’ as a cohesive political myth.