Spiking up anger, nostalgia and disgust: The polarized dynamics of Turkish women's volleyball

Abstract

This research examines the cultural conflict between polarized groups in Turkey, focusing on the narratives surrounding Turkish women's volleyball teams, a state-funded sport. It argues that emotions such as counter-nostalgia, disgust, and anger play a key role in framing the debate, reflecting Turkey's broader cultural struggle. The study examines how these emotions are invoked in discussions of social norms through content analysis. In doing so, it contributes to a wider understanding of the role of sport in polarization, kulturkampf, and the instrumentalization of emotions, with a specific focus on women's volleyball in Turkey. The research employs three different datasets to show how the public sector significantly influences Turkish women's volleyball and how their success has become a contested cultural space within media discourse. The findings reveal that anger is the most frequently recurring emotion in this cultural conflict, with disgust and nostalgia also playing significant roles.