The construction of collective memory under the rule of the Justice and Development Party

Our thesis argues that individual memory is not merely a collection of subjective experiences and personal recollections; rather, it is shaped by the society in which the individual lives, the cultural environment to which they belong, and the ideological discourses to which they are exposed. In this respect, memory is assumed to be not only a personal phenomenon but also one that is constantly reproduced through social relations, institutional structures, and practices of power. This assumption makes it possible to understand how collective memory is constructed at the societal level and to what ideological purposes this construction serves. Based on this premise, the main objective of our thesis is to examine how the construction of "collective memory" or "social memory" has been positioned from the perspective of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has been in power in Turkey since 2002. It is particularly observed that the AK Party has developed various strategies for shaping social memory through its political discourses, education and cultural policies, representations in media and broadcasting institutions, relations with civil society organizations, and commemorative rituals. These strategies are not limited to recalling the past in a certain way but also aim to construct a societal imagination for the future. In this context, the thesis will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the "apparatuses" through which the AK Party exercised ideological influence and shaped collective memory between 2002 and 2023. This analysis aims to reveal how the ruling party selectively constructs social memory, which historical narratives it highlights, and which it renders invisible.