French and Turkish Representations of the Mediterranean: Artificial Intelligence Based Content Analysis

Abstract

This paper argues that the Mediterranean imaginations of France and Turkey have served as a barometer for analyzing the level of their bilateral relations. Turkey and France have been among the region’s prominent rivals since the Middle Ages, and their level of relationship has varied over time. This article investigates key patterns that shape the direction of Turkish-French relations and presents a fundamental factor: The spatial representation of the Mediterranean. If the Mediterranean images developed by the two countries are adverse/unfavorable/conflictual, the relationship in a given era deteriorates and vice versa. This study aims to situate the contemporary Turkish and French representations of the Mediterranean through a Critical Geopolitics, and Artificial Intelligence based Content Analysis method.

Keywords

Spatial Representation, Critical Geopolitics, International Relations, Computational Social Science, Word2Vec.

Citation

Cem Savaş and Atakan Yılmaz, “French and Turkish Representations of the Mediterranean: Artificial Intelligence Based Content Analysis”, International Relations, Vol. 20, No 77, 2023, pp. 89-107, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.1233974

Affiliations

• Cem SAVAŞ, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations (FR), Yeditepe University, Istanbul
• Atakan YILMAZ, Research Assistant, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul