Was TRT World’s job listing an in-kind response to Reuters?

The critical attitude in the Turkish world of thought in relation to orientalism took shape in the context of the correctness or wrongness of the West’s East perspective. This, as a result, paved the way for a serious method problem in terms of the critical attitude towards orientalism. The progress made in this respect, following the Turkish translation of Edward Said’s works, is no coincidence. In fact, the lack of method has prevented the comprehension of late Said’s works as well. His works were also previously approached in the context of the correctness or wrongness of the West’s East perspective. One of the most important reasons underlying this is the fact that we have not been directly exposed to the problems caused by colonialism for a long time. It was colonialism that gave rise to orientalism anyway. In this sense, the usual perceptions arising from the two cultures’ interrelations need to be discussed in a separate category. 

 Additionally, the difference between dominion and colony should be considered outside the correctness or wrongness of the West’s East perspective. Thus, the matter is very much beyond the correctness or wrongness of the Ottoman-era Turk perspective. The fact that the dominion/possession term in Arabic (mustamlaka) comes from the same etymological root as property (mulk) makes exploitation a secondary factor. This is the reason the “colonial language” in Reuters’ job listing last week went unnoticed, and was thus not considered in this respect. Yet, when the statement in the said text, “President Tayyip Erdogan has transformed Turkey in his two decades in power, shifting it away from modern secular traditions and turning it into an assertive diplomatic and military presence in regions stretching from the South Caucasus to North Africa,” is subjected to a property-based interpretation, the primary elements of colonial language should have been realized immediately. We must also see the association of “NATO-member” Türkiye with “Europe and the Middle East’s security” as a reflection of the same language. If the predominantly colonial tone in the job listing is figured out, it may be possible to make projections about political outcomes. This is a determination of much greater significance especially for the groups that make comparisons between “democracy and autocracy.” Similarly, the statement, “a critical juncture in Erdogan's rule – with runaway inflation and a battered lira combining to threaten his bid for re-election in the months ahead,” must also be evaluated in terms of colonial language. Once the predominantly colonial tone in the advert is determined, we can form a category in relation to “someone with strong writing and reporting skills who can deliver deep-dive enterprise stories.” This category corresponds to a new attitude that cannot possibly be explained through the Turkish image concept in simple terms. 

 Reuters’ job listing has a predominantly orientalist tone. The property concept central to the text is immediately noticeable. It can be said the statement referring to Türkiye’s “assertive diplomatic and military presence in regions stretching from the South Caucasus to North Africa” is aimed at forming a new orientalist language. Those who are not interested in having occidentalism against orientalism must focus on TRT World’s counter-response – because it is almost impossible to come across elements of colonial language in the text. Hence, it would be wrong to identify the counter-response text as an in-kind response. There is no such expression central to the TRT World job listing that corresponds to the property/possession concept, which is essential in terms of the colonial system. 

 TRT World’s job description to employ a London-based correspondent says: “Failure of consecutive governments to respond to challenges like Covid-19, Brexit, and global economic crises left Britain in political turmoil. Short-lived governments put the UK’s future in uncertainty, shifting it away from Europe. The death of Queen Elizabeth II reignited the debate about the future of the monarchy, as many people questioned it as a way of rule from the Middle Ages in a Modern World. We are seeking an individual with strong writing and reporting skills with the ability to deliver deep-dive enterprise stories." 

 It is almost impossible to see another semantic stratum in TRT World’s job listing other than an evaluation of the U.K.’s political state. In fact, central to the text, there is nothing other than a reference to likely political matters. If it truly was an in-kind response, it would have certainly included a territory-related reference. Therefore, we must determine whether the response to the colonial language is in the same language. Those who liken the “colonialism” label to our history need to pay attention to the difference between the two job listings.