Style and humor in Turkish political life (1982-2002)

This doctoral thesis has aimed to comprehensively examine the areas of application of humor in political communication, why and how political leaders use humor as a strategic element, and the effects of this use within discourse. In particular, the political biographies, political thought structures, leadership approaches, and communication strategies of influential leaders in the political arena, such as Bülent Ecevit, Süleyman Demirel, Turgut Özal, Alparslan Türkeş, Necmettin Erbakan, and Tansu Çiller, have been analyzed in detail. This biographical and ideological foundation has provided a solid basis for understanding humor in terms of style, discourse, and rhetoric. Focusing on the interaction between humor, style, and rhetoric, this study has examined the areas of humor usage through a deep perspective by analyzing the forms of representation in Turkish Grand National Assembly plenary speeches, television programs, documentaries, leadership profiles, newspaper cartoons, and humor magazines, thereby comparatively demonstrating leaders' strategic use of humor. It has been examined when and in what context humor is used in official discourse spaces such as General Assembly speeches, and how representations in cartoons and magazines coincide with or diverge from humorous codes within the discourse. The reasons why humor is used so widely and powerfully in the political context have been also addressed in this study. Among these, many motivations have been identified, including the need for crisis management, the desire to connect with the public, the strategy of softening criticism, alleviating social polarization, and making the leader's image more sympathetic. This study, which focuses on Turkey through the lens of humor, politics, and discourse, has been provided general assessments of leadership discourse and interactions. Leaders' use of humor as a stylistic element not only enriches the form of discourse but also translates into a strategic advantage in terms of political legitimacy, public support, and perception control. Furthermore, it has demonstrated that humor in political communication is not merely a tool for entertainment; it has also served important functions in terms of conveying ideological codes, generating social consent, and establishing an emotional bond with the base. This study has contributed to the literature by introducing methodological and theoretical innovations (emphasizing the importance of humor as a specific communication strategy) in the field of humor-politics-discourse. The study has provided a basis for future research on topics such as the limits of humor in political leaders' discourse, its ethical dimension, its social effects, and its reshaping by the media