This study deals with the giant, dark shadow of anti-intellectualism that has been haunting the social and political life of Turkey. Cast over the academia, media, primary education, popular culture, high culture and science all alike, the shadow makes the life beneath itself more and more difficult each day. Moving from the contention that the two undertakings that Marx mentioned in the eleventh thesis - understanding the world and changing the world- are complementary rather than contradictory, this study takes the first step: to decipher how and why we have found ourselves in a setting where the most distinguishing feature is anti-intellectualism. This is necessary since a thorough understanding of the current situation is the prerequisite of any endeavor to surpass it. As an outcome of my own attempt at understanding anti-intellectualism in Turkey I argue in this article that anti-intellectualism is the most distinguishing characteristic of the latest version of populism alla Turca. Populism has traditionally been a component of the discourses of major actors in Turkey, from both the right and the left of the political spectrum. However, in its current form, its content is almost completely anti-intellectualism. I assert that anti-intellectualism is an ideological apparatus consciously used by those in power, to reproduce and strengthen the neo-liberal conservative hegemony in Turkey which was installed and consolidated during the rule of Justice and Development Party since 2002. By asserting this, I also claim that the phenomenon of populism and its increasing popularity -theoretical and practical- needs to be linked to the concept of hegemony. In short, populism is the core of any hegemonic relation as much as anti-intellectualism is the core of populism per se. To support this claim, I rely on the accord between the "minimal definition of populism" (Mudde) which has gained a considerable acceptance in the literature on populism, and the concept of hegemony as developed by Laclau and Mouffe, who are also prominent scholars of populism.
Consequently, this study deals with how populism as a global phenomenon manifests itself in Turkish politics with an aim to contribute to a discussion about a counter-hegemony. In that respect, its main argument is twofold: On the one hand, it argues that the core element of right populism which is indeed a constant in all its variations, is anti-intellectualism and thus, it is the main theme of populism alla Turca as well. On the other hand, it argues that the concept of populism, as developed by Ernesto Laclau which lies at the center of the theory radical democracy is a useful analytical tool to make sense of the current state of affairs- as well as to reflect on an alternative.
