Leadership of Meral Akşener :|transforming or reproducing the Turkish nationalist righ

Abstract

Idealism is an eclectic nationalist ideology, where women's visibility is low and masculine indoctrination is dominant. This thesis argues that Meral Akşener transformed the nationalist right in a democratic and feminist direction with her particular personality traits and political skills. In this regard, she led to remarkable changes in the fundamental pillars of ülkücülük by changing the leadership cult and party structure, and highlighting the presence of women while preventing them from being condemned to traditional roles in the nationalist ideology. In the thesis, Meral Akşener’s transformative leadership performance is scrutinized, based on the critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on her speeches at the group meetings of IYI Party. This single case study shows the interrelationship between democratization and the feminist movement through the analysis of the transformation Meral Akşener brought to the nationalist right.