M.A. Theses
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Browsing M.A. Theses by Author "Esenbel, Selçuk,"
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Item Bunka Gaikō (Japan’s Cultural Diplomacy) :|re-constructing Japanese identity in France and Turkey (1952-1989)(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Karaoğlu, Semiha.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,Japan has evolved into a cultural nation in the aftermath of World War II owing to the promulgation of the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan. Given its pacifist culture and emerging role as a responsible member of the global society, cultural diplomacy became the primary and immediate foreign policy instrument to reconstruct Japanese identity in international relations long before the theory of Soft Power emerged. The present research unveils Japan’s identity reconstruction through cultural diplomacy as a rehabilitative and constructive foreign policy mechanism to heal its image as a peace-loving nation by comparing Japan’s cultural diplomacy in France and Turkey between 1952 and 1989 comparatively to discern what kind of perception of Japan has emerged as a product of Japan’s international cultural policies in both countries. Ultimately, the thesis reveals that Japan’s cultural diplomacy in France has generated an intellectual ecosystem, whereas, in Turkey, the perception of Japan and Japanese culture remains underdeveloped due to the lack of an official culture house—inaugurated by the Government of Japan—which can constitute a legitimate institute or culture house to coordinate international cultural policies.Item Changing the status of the presidency: A comparison of constitutional amendments in South Korea and Turkey(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2017., 2017.) Demirbulak, Hülya Görkem.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,The aim of this thesis is to plot South Korea and Turkey’s journey towards a constitutional amendment by focusing on their current debates about changing the status of the presidency and to find an answer to the question of whether the intended changes to the respective countries’ constitutions will bring them close to a democratic presidential system. In this context, in this study, a general framework of both countries’ constitutional developments throughout history and the characteristics of their constitutions will be drawn, and the parallelisms in their constitutional histories will be highlighted. Furthermore, the ongoing debates on constitutional revision appertaining to the presidency will be handled with the main matters in question and a comparative assessment will be made within the scope of the similarities and divergences between two countries. As the fundamental legal document defining basic principles of the state, regulating its relationship with the citizens, and reflecting the nation’s history, its future goals, and its view of the world, a constitution constitutes a basis to fully understand a country. For this very reason, by examining the process of South Korean and Turkish constitutional developments throughout history and the current debates on constitutional amendments, this thesis offers the opportunity to thoroughly perceive both countries’ political tradition, to better interpret our modern day, and to make more to-the-point inferences about their futures.Item China's developmental state and the main determinants of its growth during the reform era(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2016., 2016.) Genç, Hüseyin Oğuz.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,This master thesis examines China’s national development in late 20th century in the light of Japan’s development process that has started with the Meiji restoration in late 19th century. The research is conducted in five parts in which starts with an introduction that provides a basic ideological discussion over the ideas on development and hegemony, and continues to discuss the main framework of ‘the developmental state’ theory developed by Chalmers Johnson in the early 1980s. A brief background to the theory is also presented during the first chapter, which is followed by the second chapter that offers a retrospective showcase for the ‘Japanese developmental state’ that follows with the Korean and Taiwanese and some other successful and failed examples of the model. Nonetheless, the economic stagnation in Japan that has started in the early 1990s is pictured to show the whereabouts of the ‘developmental state’ at the very place it started. The third chapter starts with China’s development story starting from the post-1978‘reform’ era. The political economy and the institutional structure of the Chinese state until recent years are examined to understand whether the Chinese state suits the ‘East Asian developmental state’ model at any measure. The fourth part includes a mathematical analysis to see whether the provided data for a wide range of Chinese industries support China’s development model to evoke the Japanese case. The fifth and the last part winds up with a conclusion.Item Japan’s constitutional revision debate in the light of domestic and regional developments(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Öçalan, Can.; Babaoğlu, Lale.; Esenbel, Selçuk,The biggest factor that makes the Japanese constitution special is its pacifist article which blocks Japanese army to be deployed in overseas. This constitution, which was written during the American invasion, has not been changed for 70 years. Until the end of the Cold War, Japan displayed a passive and quiet stance in the bipolar world. But the internal and external changes that took place after the Cold War led Japan to rearrange its policies. The pragmatists in the Liberal Democratic Party, lost their power and the bipolar world order is long gone. This complexity gave birth to push Japan to adopt a different policy, particularly to revise its constitution. The main aim of this thesis is to examine the reasons behind the constitutional revision and to prove that these reasons are actually intertwined.Item Policy convergence between the Russian Federation and the people's republic of China(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Çakmak, Çağdaş Utku.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,This thesis examines the bilateral relations between Russia and China based on the policy convergence theory. The aim of the thesis is to analyze Sino-Russian relations within the framework of policy convergence theory and to determine the areas in which policy convergence occurs. The introduction chapter explains the study, the literature used about the policy convergence theory and the framework of the study. The second chapter gives the literature about the policy convergence theory used in the thesis. The third chapter explains the historical background of Sino-Soviet Relations and how they end up from comrades to enemies after the Zhenbao Island Incident. Chapter four analyzes the political relations of Russia and China, in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in the United Nations Security Council, common stance against the radical Islam and American containment policy and military cooperation. The fifth chapter is covering economic relations between Russia and China, in BRICS, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Russian Far East and convergence on energy trade and policies.The sixt and the last chapter is the conclusion and overall evaluation of the policy convergence between Russia and China.Item Prospects for a multicultural Korean society: Minority politics with a focus on Afro-Koreans(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2018., 2018.) Mirkelam, Burcu.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,This thesis looks into the potential towards a multicultural South Korean society and possible improvement of minority politics with a focus on Afro-Asians in South Korea. The main research question is to what extend the Afro-Asian community can define a multicultural South Korea and challenge the nationalist discourse. It is aimed to look into the government policies to be able to understand the inclusion and exclusion mechanisms of the state towards the minorities and look into the limits of the multicultural policies towards this minority group. It will be maintained that although there has been an inclination to adopt multicultural policies for the integration of mixed-race individuals living in South Korea, its sphere of influence has been significantly limited and an effective policy-making is an important step for achieving multiculturalism. The implied policies do not necessarily change the public opinion and attitude towards multiculturalism. Although Koreans’ view on foreigners, multicultural family and mixed-race individuals seem to be positive, there is still discrimination against them, decreased in its intensity. Hence, it will be argued that there are complex layers to multiculturalism in South Korea when the state-led policies, public opinion and personal biographies of mixed-race Koreans looked into. In other words, there are different value systems attached to certain multi-ethnics in South Korea as celebrity and non-celebrity cases highlight. As the multicultural policies took initiative in the late 1990s, due to the influx of migrants, this thesis will look into the initiation of these policies until today in South Korea.Item The impact of the Japanese occupation on contemporary ethnic politics in Malaysia(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Yakut, Neslihan.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,This study aims to analyze how the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, back then Malaya, created a post-war continuation in the formation of contemporary ethnic politics under Malay political primacy in Malaysia between 1945-1969. The brief Japanese occupation has ramped up the nationalist sentiments and political experiences of not only the Malays but also the Chinese and Indians, who were regarded as transient communities. The Japanese military experience of Malaysia between 1941 and 1945 brought dramatic political changes that were beyond the ability and expectations of pre-war colonial power of Malaysia: The British, which resulted in the decolonization of Malaysia. While independence was achieved as a result of the nationalist movements of all ethnic groups that emerged with the Japanese occupation, the Malays found room to actualize their nationalist agendas in fields of politics, economy, and nation-building. This study observes the role of Japan in the consolidation of ethnic politics in Malaysia under Malay etnocracy by predicating on the impacts of the Japanese invasion.Item The strategic importance of the Kuril Islands for Japan’s national security(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Kır, Taner.; Öztürkmen, Arzu,; Esenbel, Selçuk,This thesis was written on the strategic importance of the Northern Territories, for which Japan and Russia did not sign the peace treaty that would end the Second World War. Claiming that the four islands of the Kuril Islands chain, Habomai, Kunashir, Shikotan and, Etorofu, which are close to Japan, are connected to Hokkaido, which is in the northernmost part of Japan, and claiming that they are unjustly occupied, Japan demands the return of these islands to itself. This study, which deals with the military, economic and, political-strategic importance of these islands, which cause mutual conflict, has examined the effects of the Northern Region on Japan's national security. As a result of the study, it has been revealed that the economic potential of the islands is high and that it can benefit Japan, but it is not of high importance in terms of military security.Item Understanding Jimintō (Liberal Democratic Party) factionalism as a structure of elite circulation in Japanese politics(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Akçevin, Yalın.; Eroğlu, Zeyneb Hale.; Esenbel, Selçuk,The factions of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (Jimintō/LDP) have been subjected to different analyses over the years, each seeking to explain their origins and functions, and to forecast their future. Factions have been studied from cultural and functional-structural viewpoints, and have been characterized as being integral to both the functioning and breakdown of the Japanese political system and the LDP. This study aims to expand the discussion on the factions by moving beyond both these existing viewpoints by using the works of Weber, Michels, Pareto, and Mosca, and by introducing a new model for attributing levels of significance to the circulation of elites. Thus, this study seeks to examine the changing power and influence of the factions as a structure that is integral to the cycle of elite circulation in Japanese politics. While doing so, this study also aims to reexamine the functions and significance of the factions and the Japanese Prime Minister as a factional representative from the viewpoint of elite theories, whilst locating the Japanese case as firmly outside the scope of Japanese exceptionalism as possible by comparing it to the case of Italy’s Democrazia Cristiana (DC). The findings indicate that the factions of the LDP have functioned as conflicting elite organizations with discernible policy involvements and differentiations. In addition, their powers have shifted in response to the needs of the party and the nation, producing the leadership changes necessary and ensuring that the political elites have been in a state of circulation within the LDP.