Media and Propaganda| “Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Mujahideen”: A Discourse-Theoretical Analysis of the Militarist Discourse in a Turkish Cypriot Children's Magazine

Authors

  • Mazlum Kemal Dagdelen Charles University

Keywords:

militarism, children’s magazines, discourse theory, childhood, Cyprus Problem

Abstract

This research offers a discourse-theoretical analysis of the construction of the militarist discourse in Turkish Cypriot children’s magazines, with a specific focus on the magazine Tuncer. The selected data for analysis consist of 14 issues published between January 1967 and December 1968. The chosen period is deliberate, aligning with crucial turning points in the Cyprus Problem, marked by heightened collective violence. To better understand the articulation of the militarist discourse within these issues of Tuncer, a theoretical model is developed drawing on Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The militarist discourse is seen to have 4 nodal points: (1) the army as a national protection assemblage, (2) obligated citizenship, (3) the sanctity of sacrifice, and (4) the need for the destruction of the enemy. The analysis demonstrates the presence of all 4 nodal points, with particular emphasis on the strength of the army as a national protection assemblage and the need for the destruction of the enemy. Furthermore, the contextualization within the Cyprus Problem unveils internal conflations, highlighting the deeply political nature of the militarist discourse.

Author Biography

Mazlum Kemal Dagdelen, Charles University

PhD student

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Published

2024-09-09

Issue

Vol. 18 (2024)

Section

Special Sections

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