Reflections of Historical Figures in Political Speeches (2014-2018)

Term: 
2018-2019 Summer
Faculty Department of Project Supervisor: 
Foundations Development Program
Number of Students: 
5

This project aims to explore the uses of history in current politics. Spanning the five-year period between the first presidential election by public vote in 2014 and the second presidential election coinciding with the general elections in 2018, the project focuses on the various speeches delivered by prominent politicians in Turkey. The project team will examine the speeches referring to notable historical figures; trace the reflections of the relevant speeches in mainstream print, broadcast, and digital media; evaluate the speeches and their media reflections in terms of timing, location, and audience. The evaluations will be used for two layers of assessment, namely short-term and long-term. So far, short-term assessments have provided case-based analysis for each speech indicating the related historical context and current relevance. During Summer 2019, the research team will explore the reflections of collected speeches in the media. A long-term assessment at the end of the project will bring all case-based evaluations together and try to identify possible patterns, if any, in the use of history in daily politics. 

Related Areas of Project: 
Cultural Studies
Political Science
International Studies
History