Legitimizing the Blue Homeland: historical myth, symbolic statecraft, and the reconstruction of Turkish maritime identity
Turkish Studies, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/14683849.2026.2726550
- Dergi Adı: Turkish Studies
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Social Sciences Abstracts, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, Blue Homeland, historical memory, strategic emulation, Symbolic statecraft
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Why do states revive historical figures in foreign policy? This study investigates the instrumentalization of memory in Turkish foreign policy by reviving Ottoman admiral Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa. It argues that his myth is retrofitted onto the ‘Blue Homeland' maritime doctrine. Using a framework (Realist, Securitization, Critical Security Studies) and qualitative analysis of institutional and public discourses, the study shows how naval professionalization and emulation facilitate this reinvention. This projects realist power, securitizes maritime space as existential, and cultivates neo-Ottoman identity for domestic legitimation. Status-seeking powers leverage such narratives as symbolic statecraft to navigate international hierarchies and engineer domestic consensus.