THE MEANING MAKING PROCESS OF COVID-19 IN TURKEY

Abstract

This study analyses the meaning making process of Covid-19 in Turkey. The narrative of the Turkish government in terms of Covid-19 is analysed as well as the reasons behind this narrative and the receptance of this narrative in Turkey. It shows that the meaning making process in Turkey of this worldwide pandemic is a unique one. The narrative that the Turkish government provides about the pandemic is about much more than the concerns for health and economy. It is about an existential struggle that the Turkish nation is going through. Nevertheless, because of Turkey’s strong foundations and strong leadership, the nation can overcome these threats and even end up in a better position. This narrative is embedded in a certain cultural, societal, and political context. This same context also matters for the way that the society is responding to the government’s narrative. These findings support the idea that crises are socially constructed and based on claims. As academic research in social sciences have mostly perceived crises as factual events instead of constructed ones based on claims, this thesis argues for a constructivist understanding of crises.