“Was Atatürk gay?”. Construction of an Other in Turkish and Greek media

Abstract

The paper presents the issue of media manipulation in Turkey and Greece, the direct aim of which is to discredit Kemal Pasha Atatürk. Gaps in the biography of the creator of the Republic of Turkey are interpreted by journalists as evidence that he was gay. Homosexuality is treated as a deviation that compromises a man, a politician and a leader. The sign gay is semantized in the discourse as foreign / different. Using critical discourse analysis, I present the extra-linguistic context of media statements. In Turkey, these are political and religious changes, along with a new policy of remembrance. In Greece, the attack is based on successive conflicts between the two neighbours over domination in the eastern Mediterranean.