ajitasyon

Ajitasyon is a term used in Turkish and some related languages to denote the act of arousing public interest or stirring political sentiment to mobilize people around a cause. It encompasses organized campaigns, public speeches, leafleting, demonstrations, and media outreach aimed at rallying support or action. The word is closely associated with political campaigning and mass participation, and appears in discussions of labor movements, student activism, and ideological campaigns.

The word derives from the Latin agitatio, via the French agitation, and was adopted into Turkish and other Turkic languages with a similar sense of stirring people to action. In Turkish political vocabulary, ajitasyon is often contrasted with propaganda as two interconnected but distinct activities: agitating (mobilizing and provoking a response) and informing or persuading more broadly.

Historically, ajitasyon has been a central tactic in socialist, communist, and labor organizations, where it is seen as the practical side of political education—speaking to emotions and grievances to prompt collective activity. In broader political discourse, it can carry neutral, positive, or pejorative connotations depending on context and tone, particularly when linked to coercive, manipulated, or sensational messaging.

In addition to political usage, ajitasyon can appear in technical contexts to denote agitation in processes such as mixing or stirring, though this sense is less common in everyday speech.