Sticking to the “Indigenous and National”, as Turkish Lira Depreciates

World History Association of Texas Annual Conference, Texas, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, 19 Şubat 2022, (Yayınlanmadı)

Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Yayınlanmadı
Basıldığı Şehir: Texas
Basıldığı Ülke: Amerika Birleşik Devletleri
Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Nationalism has been redefined and negotiated throughout the history of Republican Turkey, from the first days of the new nation-state to the twenty-first century. Political elites have put an emphasis on “indigenous” (yerli) and “national” (millî) in defining the Turkish nation in recent decades, with the latter containing a religious connotation. Once limited to the language of state authorities, these adjectives have been embedded in the everyday language of a wide section of Turkish society. On the other hand, neoliberal policies that have been implemented since the 1980s have called for opening boundaries, increasing integration into the world economy, and the abandonment of welfare policies. Although Turkish politicians have proved willing to follow neoliberal policies, they have also promoted certain nationalist messages that may seem to contradict their economic agenda. As this study discusses, however, this political discourse on the definition of nation and nationalism facilitated the recreation of consent for neoliberalism rather than clashing with the economic orientation. In this sense, the reconstruction of nationalism in this new form went hand in hand with the restructuring of the economy. This study looks at the reproduction of the term ‘national’ during the depreciation of the Turkish Lira in 2021 Autumn by providing fresh insights into the historical development of the nexus between nationalist language and economic policies since the late twentieth century. If the Turkish economy was hit by increasing dependence on foreign capital and investment despite the emphasis on independence, how have many Turkish citizens still favoured this political discourse? Drawing on a variety of written and oral sources, as well as social media debates, this presentation presents a historical survey of the dynamic relations between nationalist rhetoric and the Turkish economy.