The construction of reconciliation and social cohesion by Turkey’s Republican People’s Party

A critical discourse analysis of Kılıçdaroğlu’s Helalleşme call

Abstract

In November 2021, Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader, Kılıçdaroğlu, shared a video via Twitter in which he made a call for helalleşme to Turkish society. While the repercussions of the call have been reflected differently within the political spectrum in Turkish society, this study investigates how social cohesion and reconciliation are envisaged and addressed by the main opposition party. It does this through a discursive analysis of Kılıçdaroğlu’s speeches released since his helalleşme call that builds upon theoretical discussions about reconciliation and intergroup forgiveness. Research on reconciliation and intergroup forgiveness literature associated with the Turkish case mainly revolves around the Turkish government’s or Turkish nationalists’ approach to ethnic minorities, such as the Kurdish question. However, studies investigating the stance of the main opposition party concerning the debate about fragmentation within Turkish society are very limited. Therefore, this study will aim to fill this gap. To thematically analyze the underlying messages of and motivation for the discourses, it will employ the discourse historical approach (DHA). In this way, the current study will contribute empirically to the relevant literature.