Political discourse and health communication during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey: A critical analysis

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, governments had to devise policies to respond to a novel situation with imperfect and uncertain information. Developing government discourses to make meaning out of these unprecedented circumstances has been a key component of the pandemic response. This thesis examines how the Turkish government discourses have constructed the relationship between the state and citizens in terms of their respective responsibilities during the pandemic. Focusing on the government discourses in two significant turning points during the pandemic in Turkey, the thesis applies Political Discourse Analysis to analyze 27 speeches delivered by President Erdoğan and Health Minister Koca. The thesis finds that these discourses have served political aims that go beyond the pandemic response. As political communication, these discourses have served political goals through its framing of the pandemic as a naturalized event outside of its control and the government as a strong and proactive leader in pandemic response with past healthcare reforms being treated as evidence for its current success. As health communication, government discourses were often evidence-based, informative, and persuasive. However, the limitations of the broader social policy environment have undermined the effectiveness of this otherwise successful health communication. In the context of the uneven and inadequate financial support for affected households that could facilitate their compliance with public health measures, these discourses have created a framework where individuals are "responsibilitized" in protecting their own and others' health regardless of their ability to do so.