PERCEPTION OF TURKS AND Türkiye IN THE WEST

Turkey is striving to become a strong state in its region with its historical dynamics in this turbulent period in the world. This is only possible for countries with strong state experience to be able to prevent the various threats and dangers they face in difficult times. Over the last thousand years, the Turkish perception in the Western world continues to exist with different fluctuations today with its political, cultural and philosophical dimensions. It is a known fact that the images of nations and states affect politics and international relations. Images do not change easily, and perceptions engraved in collective memories become ossified over time.

Historian Özlem Kumrular, “The Origin of Turkish Hostility in Europe. In his work titled "Fear of the Turks", he explains that European culture has been shaped by a negative perception of the Turks that has become increasingly constant since the 15th and 16th centuries. Again, the historical and philosophical sources of Turkish perception are explained in great detail in Onur Bilge Kula's work titled "Orientalism and the Turkish Image in Western Philosophy". It is also necessary to remember the important works written by Leyla Coşan on the Turkish perception in 16th century Germany. Although the dosage of negative perception varies from country to country and from age to age, its essence has always remained the same. Overview and arrogance replaced fear of the Turks, especially in the second half of the 18th century and from the 19th century onwards, and the main concern of 19th century orientalism was how the Turks would be sent back to the Central Asian steppes. Even if it is thought that these ambitions were put to an end with our War of Independence and the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, it would be delusional to expect that the politics towards the Turks and Turkey will change as long as the perception we mentioned does not change.

The establishment of the "Organization of Turkic States" with a new institutional understanding, which should be considered as an initiative that can greatly affect the perception of Turks and Turkey, is an important step in this field. Those who cannot even attribute the name "Turk" to the Turkish States in Asia will most likely need to review their current perceptions of Turks and Turkey over time when they come together and "express unity".