Perceived Cultural Functions of a TIKA-Funded University Radio in Northern Afghanistan: Implications for Turkish Soft Power and Cultural Convergence
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This paper explores audience reactions to the cultural role of a donor-operated university radio station in a post-conflict situation in northern Afghanistan. The study seeks to determine the radio station's cultural-sensitivity effects on the audience's attitudes toward the donor country and, unlike the majority of studies of media-focused development aid, does not assume positive effects. This study employed a cross-sectional survey (N = 422) using correlation and regression analyses, showing a moderate positive association (r = .482, p < .001; R² = .232) between perceptions of the radio’s cultural functions and favorable attitudes toward TIKA/Türkiye. This association does not imply causation. However, perceptions remain primarily attitudinal, and the cross-sectional design, combined with socio-political constraints that restricted participation to men, limits generalizability and precludes causal inference or inclusion of female perspectives. The findings indicate that in northern Afghanistan, soft power emerges as a fluid, contested perception shaped by cultural proximity and local context, rather than solely by development aid. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and male-dominated sample due to socio-political constraints.
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