Unravelling Anti-Feminist Social Network in Turkey: An Analysis of Actors, Relationships and Political Influence

Abstract

The surge of right-wing populism and illiberalism has fuelled the rise of anti-feminist movements in the past decade. This phenomenon has been particularly prominent in Turkey under President Erdoğan and his conservative Justice and Development Party (AKP). However, until the past few years, existing research has largely neglected the role of social actors in Turkey, especially due to the top-down perspective of anti-feminism. Contributing the burgeoning studies, our aim is to explain anti-feminist social mobilization in the context of a strong top-down anti-feminist stance. Our findings revealed the existence of an anti-feminist social network in Turkey, which effectively exercises political influence through creating social reactions and mobilizing a broader public. This mobilization also confers legitimacy to the anti-feminist policies. Additionally, political actors shape network dynamics and interrelationships by creating exocentric hubs within the social network. Importantly, our research shows the significance of social actors in complementing strong top-down stances, even in environments characterized by pervasive ideological undercurrents.