Discriminatory Press Discourse in Turkey

This study aims to reveal the role that the press played in the exclusion of non-Muslims from Turkish nationhood. The main focus is on the discursive and linguistic processes and strategies adopted by the press in the representation of non-Muslims in its coverage of the 1934 Thrace Events, the 1942 Wealth Tax Affair, and the 6/7 September 1955 Riots. In order to account for the role of the press in the reproduction of the idea that non-Muslims should be excluded. The critical analysis of press discourse is complemented by an analysis of the socio-historical context in which the press functioned at the times in question. In terms of the socio-historical context in which the status of non-Muslim identity was shaped, the emergence of the Turkish state and the accompanying idea of national identity are analysed.