“Please Don’t Be Turk, BE GREEK, BE ARMENIAN”: Agency and Deixis Across Virtualized Turkish Imagined Community

Abstract

This article presents a critical discourse analysis of a Twitter discussion between Turkish nationalists and liberals that revolves around the assassination of Hrant Dink, a journalist who is a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent. Within the exchange, both sides attempt to establish, contest, and challenge definitions of the nation, citizenship, religion, and agency. This interaction raises important questions regarding the nature of resistance, the sociolinguistic location of agency and dominance, and hegemony. The article analyzes linguistic aspects of online interaction and touches on practical consequences of confronting dominant discourses. Beyond linguistic and theoretical questions, this study offers insights into the social aspects of talk-back.