Threads of partisanship: Unravelling collective nostalgia in Türkiye through social representations

This dissertation explored the phenomenon of collective nostalgia, a nostalgic dream that depends on individuals thinking of themselves as members of certain groups in the increasingly polarising context of Türkiye. It aimed to investigate how past, present, future, and collective nostalgia are socially represented in the context of partisan identities in Türkiye. Based on a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews, the study involved in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 75 individuals supporting various political parties in Türkiye, conducted between April 2022 and April 2024. The data were evaluated through content analysis using the MAXQDA. Participants expressed various types of nostalgia, including Ottoman Nostalgia, Early Republic Nostalgia, 70s-80s Nostalgia, 90s Nostalgia, Gezi Park Nostalgia, and Nostalgia for the Founding Years of the AK Party. The main finding of the research indicates that collective nostalgia, along with representations of the past, present, and future, is directly related to political identities, with supporters of political parties ascribing meanings to historical events and periods that align with their party identities. This highlights the political aspect of collective memory and nostalgia and contributes to a better understanding of the increasing political polarisation in Türkiye. The findings are discussed in the context of partisan schemas and perceived relative deprivation on economic, values-based, and political arenas. This dissertation is expected to provide the basis for a more complete understanding of collective nostalgia and its relationship with intergroup polarisation in Türkiye. Thus, it is expected to help researchers to (1) better understand the impact of social change on different political groups, (2) better analyse the expectations and reactions of groups in times of socioeconomic and political change, (3) analyse more comprehensively the possible effects of variations in the content of collective nostalgia on intergroup relations.