The Cypriot divide through Western eyes: the discursive construction of Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the British and American press

Abstract

This paper analyses the discursive construction of the Cyprus problem and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot identities in relation to this construction in the British and American press. News articles (2012-2022), which are strategic disseminators of information, about the Cyprus problem, were critically analysed using the discourse-historical approach to critical discourse analysis, to evaluate how foreign presses represent identity and socially construct the complex reality of enduring conflict. Conclusions are drawn regarding identity representations which oscillated according to power dynamics relating to the construction. The Greek Cypriots were continually represented as victims, while the Turkish Cypriots were defined according to the construction being made, often as the enemy. Discourses of legitimisation were noted regarding the Cyprus problem, consistent with the Greek Cypriot national history positioning their identity as victim.