Jonas Draege
@draege.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Political Science at Oslo New University College. Previously @MiddleEast_HKS @Harvard @eui_sps
New article out in @polstudies.bsky.social!
Why do opposition parties in authoritarian regimes so often fail to coordinate, even when unity could help them win?
doi.org/10.1177/0032...
In this article, we highlight two overlooked drivers of opposition fragmentation 🧵
Why do opposition parties in authoritarian regimes so often fail to coordinate, even when unity could help them win?
doi.org/10.1177/0032...
In this article, we highlight two overlooked drivers of opposition fragmentation 🧵
November 13, 2025 at 10:42 AM
New article out in @polstudies.bsky.social!
Why do opposition parties in authoritarian regimes so often fail to coordinate, even when unity could help them win?
doi.org/10.1177/0032...
In this article, we highlight two overlooked drivers of opposition fragmentation 🧵
Why do opposition parties in authoritarian regimes so often fail to coordinate, even when unity could help them win?
doi.org/10.1177/0032...
In this article, we highlight two overlooked drivers of opposition fragmentation 🧵
A third common theme is the portrayal of perennial threats. PHVs show Turkey under attack by coup plotters, Western powers, or faceless enemies. Martyred citizens appear in color as the "pure" ingroup, resisting "corrupt" outgroups in black and white.
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
A third common theme is the portrayal of perennial threats. PHVs show Turkey under attack by coup plotters, Western powers, or faceless enemies. Martyred citizens appear in color as the "pure" ingroup, resisting "corrupt" outgroups in black and white.
Another core theme in PHVs is strength through sacrifice. Voice-over narration (often by Erdoğan) adds drama to scenes of martyrs fighting on “just when hopes were about to be extinguished,” linking historical battles and the 2016 coup as shared moments of national resilience.
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Another core theme in PHVs is strength through sacrifice. Voice-over narration (often by Erdoğan) adds drama to scenes of martyrs fighting on “just when hopes were about to be extinguished,” linking historical battles and the 2016 coup as shared moments of national resilience.
We then used intertextual analysis to examine how common themes in PHVs were conveyed. Some videos show flag-bearing figures riding through battles like Manzikert and Gallipoli into today’s Turkey. Others use 1980s nostalgia, sepia tones, and folk music to urge support for the AKP.
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
We then used intertextual analysis to examine how common themes in PHVs were conveyed. Some videos show flag-bearing figures riding through battles like Manzikert and Gallipoli into today’s Turkey. Others use 1980s nostalgia, sepia tones, and folk music to urge support for the AKP.
Our coding scheme tracked which historical figures and events appeared in each video, and who was cast as hero or enemy.
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Our coding scheme tracked which historical figures and events appeared in each video, and who was cast as hero or enemy.
We created a new dataset of 11,000+ YouTube videos shared by Turkey’s ruling party and state institutions (2005–2022).
From these, we hand-coded 134 “storytelling videos”, including “Popular History Videos” (PHVs) that use the past to legitimize rule today.
From these, we hand-coded 134 “storytelling videos”, including “Popular History Videos” (PHVs) that use the past to legitimize rule today.
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
We created a new dataset of 11,000+ YouTube videos shared by Turkey’s ruling party and state institutions (2005–2022).
From these, we hand-coded 134 “storytelling videos”, including “Popular History Videos” (PHVs) that use the past to legitimize rule today.
From these, we hand-coded 134 “storytelling videos”, including “Popular History Videos” (PHVs) that use the past to legitimize rule today.
My article "Film-Making the Nation Great Again" with
@liselhintz.bsky.social is out now in @poppublicsphere.bsky.social!
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
We show how Turkey’s ruling party instrumentalizes history through emotionally evocative videos to legitimize the authoritarian incumbent
🧵
@liselhintz.bsky.social is out now in @poppublicsphere.bsky.social!
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
We show how Turkey’s ruling party instrumentalizes history through emotionally evocative videos to legitimize the authoritarian incumbent
🧵
September 11, 2025 at 11:56 AM
My article "Film-Making the Nation Great Again" with
@liselhintz.bsky.social is out now in @poppublicsphere.bsky.social!
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
We show how Turkey’s ruling party instrumentalizes history through emotionally evocative videos to legitimize the authoritarian incumbent
🧵
@liselhintz.bsky.social is out now in @poppublicsphere.bsky.social!
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
We show how Turkey’s ruling party instrumentalizes history through emotionally evocative videos to legitimize the authoritarian incumbent
🧵