In the master's thesis we discuss Ontological Security Theory (OST) and its relation to material environments. The basis of OST is belief that in addition to physical (security-as-survival) states pursue ontological security (security-as-being) – security of the Self and beliefs about oneself. To maintain its ontological security, states, among other things, link their Self-identity narrative with material environments. This is achieved through the processes of projection, introjection, and abjection. Discursively linked material environment with the Self-identity becomes an ontic space that provides state's ontological security. In master's thesis, such ontic space is recognized in the case of Hagia Sophia in Turkey. Its ontological security role is studied: (i) after construction of the cathedral in Justinian's period; (ii) in the period after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and conversion into a mosque; (iii) at the time of Republicanism and opening as a museum in 1935; and (iv) after being converted into a mosque in 2020. For the purpose of understanding metatheoretical assumptions, we firstly focus on Social Constructivism. We continue with OST, its sources, entry into IR, and its relation to narratives and material environments. Lastly, we outline the historical development of Hagia Sophia and analyse its ontological security status in individual periods.
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