A Metaphor Study on the Concepts of State, Nation and Democracy

Abstract

The concepts of state, nation and democracy, which are among the subjects of political science, are among the most controversial topics in the literature. There are different definitions and approaches to all three concepts in the literature. Therefore, it is curious how these concepts are perceived by the society. The aim of this study is to determine university students' perceptions of the concepts of state, nation and democracy. The method of the study was designed in a phenomenological pattern from qualitative research methods. The metaphors produced for state, nation and democracy and the reasons for these metaphors and perceptions towards these concepts were tried to be determined. As a result of the study, it was seen that university students' perceptions of the state and nation were mostly explained with metaphors such as father, mother, unity, togetherness, and protector. However, it was concluded that the metaphors for democracy were different from each other. As a result of the study, it is suggested that the public's view of concepts should also be taken into consideration when looking at metaphors related to concepts in current literature discussions.