Overview

This book examines EU discourses on Turkey in the European Commission, European Parliament and three EU member states (France, Germany and Britain), to reveal the discursive construction of European identity through EU representations of Turkey. Based on a poststructuralist framework that conceptualizes identity as discursively constructed through difference, the book applies Critical Discourse Analysis to the analysis of texts and argues that there are multiple Europe(s) that are constructed in talks over the enlargement of Turkey, varying within and between different ideological, national and institutional contexts. The book discerns four main discourse topics over which these Europe(s) are constructed, corresponding to the conceptualization of Europe as a security community, as an upholder of democratic values, as a political project and as a cultural space. The book argues that Turkey constitutes a key case in exploring various discursive constructs of European identity, since the talks on Turkey pave the way for the construction of different versions of Europe in discourse.

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9780230348387

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Reviews

'This is the book at the right time: A very systematic discourse-analytical study of the various constructions of EU-ropean identities, on many levels and over time: from security policy making to cultural dimensions and discussions of values and norms. Moreover, the debates about Turkey's accession are investigated in much detail; these manifest the many dilemmas European member states and European institutions are currently confronted with. This book will help scholars and laypersons alike to understand some of the most challenging political issues which confront us all via media and in everyday practices.' - Ruth Wodak, Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies, Lancaster University, UK 'This book makes an extremely significant point: How the EU and Europeans in general speak about Turkey tells us more about the EU and Europe than about Turkish membership aspirations. Arguing from a poststructuralist perspective combined with a rigorous methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis, Senem Aydin-Duzgit demonstrates that there are not one, but many Turkish 'Others' in these discourses constructing not one, but many European Selves . A Must-Read for anybody interested in European identity, EU-Turkish relations, and systematic discourse analysis!' - Thomas Risse, Director, Center for Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy at the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at the Freie University Berlin, Germany 'This is a superb book on the construction of Europe and the instrumental role of the Turkish question. It is empirically and analytically rich and theoretically and methodologically sophisticated.' Knud Erik Jorgensen, Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark 'In her detailed and at the same time highly engaging study, Senem Aydin-Duzgit takes up the argument that what we understand Europe to mean is only constructed through the engagement with 'others', and substantiates it through a superb analysis of the debates about the EU-Turkey relationship. Everyone interested in EU identity and foreign policy needs to read this book and will find a rich treasure of empirical material on the construction of a security-related, political and cultural identity of Europe.' Thomas Diez, Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Tubingen, Germany

'This is the book at the right time: A very systematic discourse-analytical study of the various constructions of EU-ropean identities, on many levels and over time: from security policy making to cultural dimensions and discussions of values and norms. Moreover, the debates about Turkey's accession are investigated in much detail; these manifest the many dilemmas European member states and European institutions are currently confronted with. This book will help scholars and laypersons alike to understand some of the most challenging political issues which confront us all via media and in everyday practices.' - Ruth Wodak, Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies, Lancaster University, UK 'This book makes an extremely significant point: How the EU and Europeans in general speak about Turkey tells us more about the EU and Europe than about Turkish membership aspirations. Arguing from a poststructuralist perspective combined with a rigorous methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis, Senem Aydin-Duzgit demonstrates that there are not one, but many Turkish 'Others' in these discourses constructing not one, but many European Selves . A Must-Read for anybody interested in European identity, EU-Turkish relations, and systematic discourse analysis!' - Thomas Risse, Director, Center for Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy at the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at the Freie University Berlin, Germany 'This is a superb book on the construction of Europe and the instrumental role of the Turkish question. It is empirically and analytically rich and theoretically and methodologically sophisticated.' Knud Erik Jorgensen, Professor at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark

Author Information

Senem Ayd?n-Düzgit is an Associate Professor and a Jean Monnet Chair in International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey. She is the author of Constructions of European Identity: Debates and Discourses on Turkey and the EU (Palgrave, 2012).

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