New Nation of the “New Turkey” as a Postcolonial “Cause”

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nation building process under the AKP government in the context of postcolonial nationalism. It is thought that analyzing the relations and contradictions between the slogan of “New Turkey” and the mission of “cause” in the context of postcolonial nationalism is vital to understand the “nation” of the AKP. The basic reason of assessing religious nationalism of the AKP in the context of postcolonial nationalism is that the self-description of the AKP cadres and grassroots. Both identify the AKP as a founding power and as a national liberation movement against a colonial power. The “colonial power” of the AKP is not defined by basing on a colonial invasion, but colonization of mentalities. Although “the colonial other” is defined as West in generic terms, it is Kemalism in the context of Turkey. The postcolonial nationalism of the AKP will be studied according to 3 main phases of Partha Chatterjee and his terms, like material-spritual domains, will be followed in this analysis. Especially, it will be focused on the last phase in which the AKP has undertaken the role of founding other and has begun to build its “nation”.