From Caliphate to Apostate: Constructivist Discourse Analysis of ISIS Propaganda Framing Turkey as the “Other”

Sarı, Buğra | Kırışık, Avnihan

This article examines how the Islamic State constructed Turkey as an adver-sarial Other through sophisticated propaganda in its official magazines—Dabiq, Rumiyah, and Konstantiniyye. Grounded in constructivist internationalrelations theory and employing discourse analysis, the study investigatesISIS’s portrayal of Turkey in ideological, religious, geopolitical, and apocalyp-tic terms. Utilizing primary ISIS sources, complemented by scholarly litera-ture, the research identifies key narrative strategies including religiousdelegitimization (branding Turkey as apostate and ṭ āghūt), associatingTurkey with the Western ‘Crusader’ alliance, demonizing Turkish leadershipand allies, and invoking apocalyptic prophecies of conqueringConstantinople. The analysis demonstrates how ISIS’s strategic Oth...