Erdoğan's Atatürk: memory politics and the symbolic reconfiguration of the founding legacy in Turkey

GERİM G.

TURKISH STUDIES, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/14683849.2026.2665688
  • Journal Name: TURKISH STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article examines how President Recep Tayyip Erdo & gbreve;an reconfigures the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atat & uuml;rk through commemorative discourse. Using Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA), it demonstrates a dual strategy: delegitimizing the early Republican era as exclusionary and culturally alien while selectively reclaiming Atat & uuml;rk as a symbol of national sovereignty, continuity, and popular will. Rather than rejecting the founding figure, Erdo & gbreve;an incorporates him into the AK Party's ideological vision. Drawing on theoretical insights from collective memory and memory politics, the study traces how the founding legacy is selectively reinterpreted in contemporary struggles over political legitimation, offering a perspective on symbolic politics of contemporary T & uuml;rkiye.