The Role of the Family in the Formation of Leftist Identity in Turkey in the Context of Political Socialization

Abstract

Political identity is the politicization of the cultural identity or an identity that an individual acquires by politicizing the conditions in which it finds itself. Like other identities,  a political identity is formed in a process. This process is conceptualized as political socialization. Therefore, individuals adopt these identities in the process of political socialization. In the process of political socialization, factors such as family, environment, school, and mass media play an important role in the acquisition of an individual’s political identity. The family often plays a decisive role in the acquisition of political identity. This role may be more dominant, especially in Turkish society, where the family is still important. Therefore, as an institution where political interaction occurs, political behavior is shaped, and political attitudes are acquired, the family is close to political identity. This study aims to find out the role of the family in the adoption of left-wing identity, which is one of the political identities in Turkey, with the data obtained from the field. This field-based study was based on the qualitative research method. An in-depth interview technique had been used to collect data. The collected data was analyzed and interpreted using the descriptive analysis technique.