Description
This paper will look into symbolic power as important feature of hybrid regimes in South-East Europe, observed through contemporary Serbian-Turkish relations. The term ‘symbolic power’ is used to refer to the power that is deployed by the domestic elites by leveraging foreign hard and soft power. This type of power is very performative and focuses on the discursive level. It is usually exercised during official visits of foreign leaders when development projects are initiated, or new facilities opened, or on any occasion when discursive power projection is possible and practical. Symbolic power reinforces flattering narratives about the ruling regime and, as such, aims to garner popularity, public approval, or prestige from foreign partners. This power has a strong quality of conversion, whereby foreign resources of power are converted into benefits for domestic leadership.
Empirically, the paper will scrutinise the contemporary Serbian-Turkish relations, from the perspective of bilateral economic relations and Turkish state tools of soft power, focusing on the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination (TIKA). By examining different strands of Turkish money into Serbia, namely donations and investments, and comparing them with the ways the ruling regime managed and reacted to them, the goal is to juxtapose the symbolic and material facets of power. The study will provide insights into the foreign direct investments and the assistance projects, coupled with the media follow-ups on such occasions. The understanding of how the authoritarian leader wields symbolic power will be complemented with observations from interviews with key actors.
One of the main purposes of symbolic power is to help enshrine the recipient country’s legitimacy, since foreign leaders often serve as ‘external validators’ . This is why looking at the manifestations of symbolic power is so crucial in understanding regime motivations and regime type.
