Abstract:

Together with various conceptual and practical discussions, this article descriptively examines the ‘Ontological Security Theory’ (OST), which is not well known enough in Turkey, but has long been studied in the Western International Relations (IR) literature. Ontological security, which is defined by Giddens as the “confidence human beings have in the continuity of their self-identity and in the constancy of the surrounding social and material environments of action”, is linked to the routines, social interactions and stability in the lives of the societies and the states, similar to the individuals. At this point, it is seen that behind many domestic and foreign policy actions, there lies the phenomenon of ontological security or insecurity and a significant amount of the discussions on the protracted conflicts and the irrational state behaviors can be analysed by means of socio-psychological base via this concept. This research both addresses the definitions of the concept in a deeply manner and presents various case studies related to the issue through a wide literature review. The aim is to contribute to the analytical enrichment of the future IR studies in Turkey on security and foreign policy, through these discussions. Thanks to its interdisciplinary structure and findings on the relationship between self-identity/the self and security, the ontological security approach exceedingly holds such a potential.

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