Ressentiment, Victimhood, and Revanchism: Unpacking Erdoğan's Populist Mastery

Abstract: Introduction: This article examines the emotional foundations of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s populism through social and political psychology, focusing on ressentiment as a collective emotion that transforms historical humiliation into moralized pride and political mobilization. Method: Using critical discourse analysis of Erdoğan’s speeches between 2012 and 2018, including the National Culture Forum (3 March 2017) and Civilizational Forum (21 October 2017), the study analyzes texts emphasizing civilization, culture, and faith through interpretative-phenomenological coding informed by theories of collective emotions, moral regulation, and identity repair. Results: Findings show that ressentiment functions as both an emotional mechanism and a political resource, converting collective victimhood into moral triumph and legitimizingauthoritarian consolidation and a neo-Ottomanist revival, demonstrating how Erdoğan’s populism operates as an affective regime binding followers through shared emotions of loss, pride, and revenge.