Self-serving National Ideologies

This book examines the historical formation and contemporary circulation of competing variants of Turkish Cypriot nationalisms as they are articulated in Turkish Cypriot radio news. Presently, there is an ideological struggle between two versions of Turkish Cypriot nationalism in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). ‘Turkish nationalism’ sees TRNC as part of a pan-Turkish nation while ‘Pro-federation’ nationalism sees TRNC as part of an inclusive Cypriot identity. TRNC radio is one site where national discourses can be accessed and evaluated. Critical Discourse Analysis is used to reveal how discourses in news stories shape the way events appear, contributing to prevailing nationalisms. Analysis is contextualised with newsroom studies. This study challenges the myth that national discourses are uniform expressions and allegiances in news media. Instead, the data reveals national discourses are internally fractured, politically differentiated and temporal, supporting interests associated with each station at the expense of contributing to a solution-friendly atmosphere which frees residents from a life of embargoes, fear and isolation.