TURKEY’S INFLUENCE ON THE CULTURE AND IDENTITY OF BOSNIAKS

Abstract

The paper examines the influence of Turkey’s soft power on political and cultural events in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, the way in which Turkey uses Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen its own geopolitical position. In this sense, the focus of the research is directed towards questioning the impact of characteristic mechanisms of Turkish soft power (such as the doctrine of “strategic depth” and the concept of “sentimental diplomacy”) on the formation and homogenization of national identity among Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to the historiographical method, the research is based on the analysis of secondary data on the activities of Turkish politicians and humanitarian organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results of the research indicate that Turkish aid to Bosnia and Herzegovina is not aimed exclusively at Bosniaks, but that in cultural and every other sense, the biggest benefit from this aid is precisely Bosniaks, that is, Turkey in terms of promoting its own interests in the Western Balkans.