Post-Earthquake Politics Under Neoliberal Populism: A Polanyian Analysis of Commodification and De-Commodification

This paper examines the interplay between populism and neoliberalism in Turkey’s post-disaster context following the 2023 earthquakes. The neoliberal populist state-capital nexus shaped disaster recovery and rebuilding, emphasizing the commodification and marketization of emergency response, relief efforts, and properties such as housing, land, and nature. Drawing on Polanyi’s theoretical framework, the paper explores how disaster capitalism acts as a catalyst for neoliberal accumulation and the marketization of state-civil society relations, while also considering the potential for a societal counter-movement that challenges the binaries of the populist imaginary. The displacement caused by the disaster intersected with existing class and identity-based inequalities, accelerating the neoliberalization of the social fabric. However, the solidarity and lived experiences of survivors and volunteers demonstrate the potential for a "double movement," as Polanyi proposed, signaling resistance to these forces. Based on an extensive analysis of media reports and empirical research conducted in the Samandağ district of Hatay province, the paper grounds its analysis in the post-earthquake realities and situates it within a critical examination of neoliberal populism.