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Abstract
Media imagery used to portray a self and an other as being distinct, in opposition or in cooperation, reflects, reinforces and changes opinions about neighboring countries. The establishment and expansion of the European Union symbolizes the new European identity, and discourse surrounding its development represents the struggle by its leaders and their publics to define Europe. This study examines the Western medias representation of negotiations surrounding Turkeys possible accession to the European Union. A discourse analysis of news items regarding Turkish accession in major European newspapers forms the foundation of scholarship. Findings show several prominent themes within the text which can be traced back to a body of ideas, beliefs, and clichs about the East known as Orientalism, concepts made up of human effort to affirm relationships of power and identify the other.