ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSES OF POLITICAL ACTORS IN TURKEY REGARDING SYRIAN REFUGEES IN THE NATIONAL PRESS

Abstract

After the protest movements, which are described as the "Arab Spring", spread to Syria since the
beginning of 2011, an important part of the Syrians, who had to leave their country with the civil
war, took shelter in Turkey. Turkey has implemented an open door policy within the framework of
humanitarian sensitivities in the face of this crisis. However, it did not remain indifferent to this
influx for historical, religious and cultural reasons and tried to provide all necessary assistance from
the very first moment. In the last ten years, the number of people who took refuge in Turkey has
reached 4 million. This study focuses on the discourses of political actors in the national press regarding Syrians under
temporary protection in Turkey. In this context, the news with the keywords “Syria” and “Syrians”
in the newspapers YeniŞafak, Cumhuriyet and Hürriyet throughout 2017, when intense discussions
were experienced in all areas regarding Syrian refugees, was analyzed by Van Dijk's discourse
analysis method.
According to the main findings of the study, it is seen that the discourses of political actors related
to Syrians under temporary protection are shaped within the framework of discussions on living
together, cooperation, economic burden, national threat and citizenship. In this context, it is
understood that there are critical differences in the discourses of political actors belonging to the
government and opposition