An analysis of anti-Syrian’s signature campaign in Türkiye: The cases from Change.org
This study aims to examine the individual actions taken against Syrian immigrant through online signature campaigns launched on the Change.org website and their role in inciting hate speech and related crimes in Türkiye. These campaigns represent one of the largest anti-immigrant petitions globally....
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Istanbul University Press
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Connectist Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/5E65B9F39AD848ACB75800D73F54ED54 |
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| Summary: | This study aims to examine the individual actions taken against Syrian immigrant through online signature campaigns launched on the Change.org website and their role in inciting hate speech and related crimes in Türkiye. These campaigns represent one of the largest anti-immigrant petitions globally. To collect the data, a basic search was conducted on the Change.org website using the keyword ‘Syrian(s),’ which yielded 154 signature campaigns. Campaign texts were analyzed thematically through the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The main themes identified were the stigmatization of Syrian identity in virtual spaces, the reproduction of stereotypes within migrants, guest discourse, and cultural racism. The findings indicate that the campaigns frequently employ discriminatory stereotypical categories, portraying Syrians as an economic burden, potential/imaginary enemies, not willing to integrate, betrayers of their homeland, fleers from the war, and even terrorists. The expression of Syrian(s) is framed as a stigmatized and ethnicized group identity rather than a social identification, mainly reflecting on Syrian men as being immoral and fleeing from war. The results also show that this identity is equipped with a hegemonic masculinity construct over a gendered perception. |
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| ISSN: | 2636-8943 |