Sevres Syndrome: Constructing the populist us versus them through fear in Turkey

Abstract

This thesis explores the role of the phenomenon of Sevres Syndrome in the construction of the populist antagonistic relation of "us" versus "them" in Turkey. Not only does it look at its role in populist discourse, but it also highlights how it has been used throughout Turkish history by different hegemonic entities to exclude groups from the Turkish nation. It begins by briefly looking at the origins of Sevres Syndrome in the Treaty of Sevres and its manifestations throughout the history of the Turkish Republic as a fear of outside powers and their domestic collaborators intent on dividing and destroying the Turkish nation. It continues by providing an in-depth analysis of the populist discourse regarding the specific events of the July 2016 coup attempt and the April 2017 constitutional referendum to explore how Sevres Syndrome informs the development of the populist relation of "us" and "them". The thesis argues that the Sevres Syndrome fear narrative acts as a historic background narrative, which informs the discursive categorization of which groups belong to the populist "us" of the Turkish nation as opposed to the populist "them" of foreign powers and their domestic collaborators.