Neo-nationalism and Turkish higher education

A Phenomenological Case Study of a Multilingual Scholar's Identity (Re)construction

Bibliographic Data

ID4096663
AuthorsDeniz Ortaçtepe Hart (0000-0003-3916-067X, University of Glasgow, corresponding author), Elif Burhan-Horasanlı (0000-0002-2998-079X, TED University)
Year2024
Volume49
Issue8
Pages1451-1462
Publication date2024-08-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03075079.2023.2268127
OpenAlexW4387504393
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited30

By placing a strong emphasis on one’s national, cultural, and ethnic identity, neonationalism, as a contemporary political and cultural movement, prioritizes ‘sameness’ over diversity. This phenomenological case study focused on Turkish universities which have been under increasingly oppressive neo-nationalist policies within the past 10 years. It examined the lived experiences of a multilingual scholar in regard to his identity (re)construction and socialization upon his return from the US to Türkiye (Turkey). Descriptions of Anıl’s lived experiences were longitudinally collected via in-depth interviews, anecdotal records, and bi-weekly journal entries. The findings indicated that one’s country of origin or nation-state becomes a source of discrimination not only in study abroad contexts, but also when international students and scholars return to their home countries. In other words, neo-nationalism in higher education institutions (HEIs) not only influences ‘the Other’ but also those within the same ‘nation’ with more progressive pedagogical beliefs and practices. The findings also underline the need to consider the phenomenon of transnational intersectionality when accounting for multilingual scholars’ identity (re)construction and socialization. Such an approach would help situate the complexities of transnationalism within the larger discussions of how HEIs are shaped by current neo-nationalist policies. This study also calls for further research to pay attention to colonial legacies such as linguicide and epistemicide within HEIs so as to encourage multilingual scholars to resist and dismantle oppressive policies and practices that govern academia both at local and global contexts

Higher education · Intersectionality · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Social science · Socialization · Sociology · Transnationalism · Turkish · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Turkey's Politics and Society

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