In contemporary Turkey, populism goes hand in hand with neo-Ottoman nostalgia. They make a stigmatized duo, as nostalgia is interpreted as lingering in the past and populism is deemed as the opium of the uninformed, emotional masses. In this paper, I complicate this vision through an ethnographic discourse analysis of the 2016 Conquest of Constantinople Rally, organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). I show how nostalgia helps boost the authenticity claim that social performances seek to achieve. In a ritualistic setting, the rally portrays a Manichean worldview predating to Ottoman times, underlines the power of the “people” against nefarious others, and is organized around a leader who is posited as a savior. By relying on forty-five in-depth interviews in five cities, I investigate the extent to which this social performance convinces the audience. Three interpretative perspectives emerged from participants’ responses: Spectacle Seekers see the rallies as a necessity and as providing emotional uplift as the state’s duty; Appraising Skeptics approve the commemoration, yet are skeptical of the authenticity of the effort; and History Guardians deem the Ottoman past as sacred and regard the AKP’s use of it as emotional manipulation.

中文翻译：

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征服人心：奥斯曼怀旧在当代土耳其民粹主义中的核心作用

在当代土耳其，民粹主义与新奥斯曼帝国的怀旧情绪密切相关。他们组成了一个被污名化的二人组，因为怀旧被解释为挥之不去的过去，而民粹主义被视为无知的情绪化群众的鸦片。在本文中，我通过对执政的正义与发展党 (AKP) 组织的 2016 年征服君士坦丁堡集会的民族志话语分析使这一愿景复杂化。我展示了怀旧如何帮助提升社交表演寻求实现的真实性。在仪式性的环境中，集会描绘了早于奥斯曼时代的摩尼教世界观，强调了“人民”对抗邪恶他人的力量，并围绕一位被视为救世主的领导人组织起来。依托五座城市四十五次深度访谈，我调查了这种社交表演在多大程度上说服了观众。从参与者的反应中出现了三个解释性观点： 奇观寻求者认为集会是必要的，并且将情绪提升视为国家的职责；评价 怀疑论者赞同纪念活动，但对努力的真实性持怀疑态度；和历史守护者认为奥斯曼帝国的过去是神圣的，并将 AKP 对它的使用视为情绪操纵。