THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN POWER AND POLITICS (CASE STUDY: ERDOGAN SPEECHES BETWEEN 2002-2020)

The main aim of this article is to analyze if there is a radical shift in ideology from conservative democracy to National Outlook/Islamist ideology. The secular groups often assert that it was the hidden agenda of Erdogan all along. Secondly, the article investigates the influential role of language in politics. The research is a comparative historical case study of Westernization, touching on the early republican era and highlights the National Outlook ideology's stance on the idea of westernization. The data consists of official and public speeches done by Erdogan, particularly during the elections, collected through AKP's official website, domestic and international newspapers, and archives. Theoretically, the research mainly benefits from constructivist theories, particularly critical constructivism, in analyzing the transformation of the individual, unit, and subunit level identities.