Neo-nationalism and Turkish higher education: a phenomenological case study of a multilingual scholar’s identity (re)construction

Ortactepe Hart, D. (2023) Neo-nationalism and Turkish higher education: a phenomenological case study of a multilingual scholar’s identity (re)construction. Studies in Higher Education, (doi: 10.1080/03075079.2023.2268127) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

By placing a strong emphasis on one’s national, cultural, and ethnic identity, neonationalism, as a contemporary political and cultural movement, prioritizes ‘sameness’ over diversity. This phenomenological case study focused on Turkish universities which have been under increasingly oppressive neo-nationalist policies within the past 10 years. It examined the lived experiences of a multilingual scholar in regard to his identity (re)construction and socialization upon his return from the US to Türkiye (Turkey). Descriptions of Anıl’s lived experiences were longitudinally collected via in-depth interviews, anecdotal records, and bi-weekly journal entries. The findings indicated that one’s country of origin or nation-state becomes a source of discrimination not only in study abroad contexts, but also when international students and scholars return to their home countries. In other words, neo-nationalism in higher education institutions (HEIs) not only influences ‘the Other’ but also those within the same ‘nation’ with more progressive pedagogical beliefs and practices. The findings also underline the need to consider the phenomenon of transnational intersectionality when accounting for multilingual scholars’ identity (re)construction and socialization. Such an approach would help situate the complexities of transnationalism within the larger discussions of how HEIs are shaped by current neo-nationalist policies. This study also calls for further research to pay attention to colonial legacies such as linguicide and epistemicide within HEIs so as to encourage multilingual scholars to resist and dismantle oppressive policies and practices that govern academia both at local and global contexts.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ortactepe Hart, Dr Deniz
• Authors: Ortactepe Hart, D.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: Studies in Higher Education
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 0307-5079
• ISSN (Online): 1470-174X
• Published Online: 10 October 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author
• First Published: First published in Studies in Higher Education 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License