Gastromilliyetçilik, kimlik ve gastro-savaş: Türk ve Yunan sofrasında aidiyet ve kamu diplomasisi

This thesis examines the intersections of gastronomy, as a relatively new field within the discipline of International Relations, with nationalism, identity, and public diplomacy. The aim is to highlight how gastronomic rivalry, but also culinary commonalities, between Türkiye and Greece are configured within the framework of the construction and reproduction of national identity, the reciprocal definition of the "self" and the "other", quests for international legitimacy, and soft power strategies. The theoretical framework briefly draws on the approaches of Renan, Anderson, Hobsbawm, Gellner, and Smith on nation and nationalism, in order to establish a starting point for analyzing nationalism and identity construction through gastronomy. This foundation is then enriched by Billig's conception of "banal nationalism" and Wendt's "alter/ego" model, as well as the conceptualizations of Hall, Said, Bhabha, and Foucault on identity, discourse, representation, and the construction of the "other." In addition, the notions of culinary nationalism proposed by Ferguson, gastronationalism developed by DeSoucey, culinary diplomacy by Chapple-Sokol, and gastrodiplomacy by Rockower constitute the conceptual underpinnings of this study. The research adopts a qualitative method, based on comparative perspective, and thematic examination; the Turkish and Greek cuisines are analyzed through UNESCO's cultural heritage lists, geographical indication policies, media representations, and various contemporary examples. The findings demonstrate that gastronomy constitutes, on the one hand, a space where identity and belonging are reproduced in everyday practices, and, on the other hand, a stage for struggles over national superiority and legitimacy, while also functioning as an instrument of nation branding in public diplomacy and the management of international image. In conclusion, it appears that gastronomic rivalry not only produces a "gastro-war" but also opens the way, through common heritage and the sharing of the table, to dialogue and possible rapprochement within the framework of "conditional hospitality".