A co-authored article by Professor Ruben Melkonyan and Associate Professor Varuzhan Geghamyan from the Faculty of Oriental Studies has been published in the prestigious Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, focusing on the role of political titles and nicknames in contemporary Turkey.
Titled "Re-Inventing Reis: History and the Discursive Evolution of Erdoğan’s Popular Title", the study examines how a political figure's nickname or title can become a significant ideological instrument. Using the example of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the authors demonstrate how the selection and dissemination of a title among the public serve to advance the ruling agenda and consolidate the political system.
The publication of the article in a UK-based Scopus Q1 journal underscores the high quality and international relevance of the research.
One of the study's key conclusions is that the evolution of Erdoğan's titles further confirms the current Turkish ruling elite's embrace of neo-Ottomanist ideology. The analysis of political titles provides a deeper understanding of the neighboring country's foreign policy ambitions and internal structural transformations.
