Talk:
“Opposition Vilification in Turkey: An Analysis of Media Language Evolution”
by
Alper Yağcı
Department of Political Science and International Relations
Bogazici University, Istanbul
alper.yagci@bogazici.edu.tr
Date and Room Info
Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 12:30 p.m.
A-130 (FEASS Building)
Abstract
Discursive attacks towards the opposition are often a harbinger of polarization, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism. We study the evolution of negative language in mass media about the main opposition in Turkey, a pioneering case of backsliding. Utilizing machine learning capabilities, we focus on two newspapers: Sabah, which has been a pro-government outlet all along, and Hürriyet, which was more recently acquired by a pro-government business group. Our data allow us to compare the depictions of the main opposition party between media outlets, before and after media outlet ownership change, during election times and beyond. We also test how these depictions respond to currency shocks and military casualties, as the incumbents could try to contain the fallout from these adverse events by discursively attacking the opposition.
Short Bio
Alper Yağcı is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University. He received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the recipient of an Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the Turkish Academy of Sciences as well as an Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award from Bogazici University. Alper Yağcı is the Turkey coordinator for the World Elite Database (WED) project, and his research activity focuss on political economy, institutions, and voter behavior.