Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises

The depiction of identity in foreign policy analysis is typically presented as inherent or predetermined. However, discursive approaches within the field, particularly poststructuralism, have emphasized foreign policy discourse's influence on identity formation. The main aim of this paper is to...

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Main Author: Erdem Ceydilek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Rasim Özgür Dönmez 2023-10-01
Series:Alternatif Politika
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Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3485538
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author Erdem Ceydilek
author_facet Erdem Ceydilek
author_sort Erdem Ceydilek
collection DOAJ
description The depiction of identity in foreign policy analysis is typically presented as inherent or predetermined. However, discursive approaches within the field, particularly poststructuralism, have emphasized foreign policy discourse's influence on identity formation. The main aim of this paper is to elucidate the performative relationship between identity and foreign policy through a poststructuralist lens, even in situations that are not existential or geographically proximate crises. This study employs a critical discourse analysis methodology to examine the performative dynamics between foreign policy discourse by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) policymakers and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) about distant natural disasters and the construction of the Turkish national identity. The study presents three primary findings: firstly, the AKP's foreign policy discourse recognizes the Indonesia and Pakistan disasters as significant events, in contrast to the case of Haiti; secondly, this discourse constructs a homogenous Turkish identity; and thirdly, this homogeneous Turkish identity qualifies by several signifiers and is distinguished from external others.
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spelling doaj-art-de3bfe73265e4496a3dffd7e36accf812025-08-20T02:21:20ZengRasim Özgür DönmezAlternatif Politika1309-05932023-10-0115344547010.53376/ap.2023.172306Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian CrisesErdem Ceydilek0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1871-2383MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSThe depiction of identity in foreign policy analysis is typically presented as inherent or predetermined. However, discursive approaches within the field, particularly poststructuralism, have emphasized foreign policy discourse's influence on identity formation. The main aim of this paper is to elucidate the performative relationship between identity and foreign policy through a poststructuralist lens, even in situations that are not existential or geographically proximate crises. This study employs a critical discourse analysis methodology to examine the performative dynamics between foreign policy discourse by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) policymakers and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) about distant natural disasters and the construction of the Turkish national identity. The study presents three primary findings: firstly, the AKP's foreign policy discourse recognizes the Indonesia and Pakistan disasters as significant events, in contrast to the case of Haiti; secondly, this discourse constructs a homogenous Turkish identity; and thirdly, this homogeneous Turkish identity qualifies by several signifiers and is distinguished from external others.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3485538natural disastersforeign policycritical discourse analysispoststructuralismidentitydoğal afetlerdış politikaeleştirel söylem analizipostyapısalcılıkkimlik
spellingShingle Erdem Ceydilek
Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
Alternatif Politika
natural disasters
foreign policy
critical discourse analysis
poststructuralism
identity
doğal afetler
dış politika
eleştirel söylem analizi
postyapısalcılık
kimlik
title Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
title_full Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
title_fullStr Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
title_full_unstemmed Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
title_short Not Necessarily Existential Threats: Identity-Constitutive Role of the Foreign Policy Discourse on Distant Humanitarian Crises
title_sort not necessarily existential threats identity constitutive role of the foreign policy discourse on distant humanitarian crises
topic natural disasters
foreign policy
critical discourse analysis
poststructuralism
identity
doğal afetler
dış politika
eleştirel söylem analizi
postyapısalcılık
kimlik
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3485538
work_keys_str_mv AT erdemceydilek notnecessarilyexistentialthreatsidentityconstitutiveroleoftheforeignpolicydiscourseondistanthumanitariancrises