Talk:
“A paradox of ethnic politics? Minority language recognition and political trust”
by
Asst. Prof. Dr. Sevinç Öztürk
Department of Management & Organization
Bitlis Eren University
sevincozzturk@gmail.com
&
Asst. Prof. Dr. Aykut Öztürk
School of Social & Political Sciences
The University of Glasgow
Date and Room Info:
Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 12:30 p.m.; A-130
Abstract:
Does a state’s recognition of a minority language affect the political attitudes of minorities? Despite the significance of the language policy, particularly in countries experiencing ongoing ethnic conflict, the empirical literature regarding its causal effects stays limited. In this study, we explore the impact of minority language recognition on ethnic minority individuals’ political attitudes in a country experiencing an ethnic conflict. We conducted an online survey experiment to analyze this effect, recruiting Kurdish individuals in Turkey. Our results point to a recognition paradox. We find that while the Kurdish people living in Turkey become more satisfied with state services if these services are provided in the Kurdish language, this satisfaction does not increase trust in state institutions. On the other hand, recognising the minority language further increases language demands among the minority community.
Bio:
Sevinç Öztürk is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Organization at Bitlis Eren University in Turkey. Dr. Öztürk has earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at Rutgers University, where she has also worked as a teaching assistant and part-time lecturer. Her research interests include regime type, minority politics, and foreign aid policies of states.
Aykut Öztürk is an assistant professor in the School of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow. His research covers the issues of public support for democracy and authoritarianism, political identities, emotions, and online survey methods. His previous research on these issues has been published in Comparative Political Studies, Perspectives on Politics, Democratization, and other peer-reviewed journals.