Perin Gurel on the history of comparing Turkey and Iran in the West
September 30, 2025
Turkey Book Talk #254 – Perin Gurel of the University of Notre Dame on “Türkiye, Iran, and the Politics of Comparison: America’s Wife, America’s Concubine” (Cambridge University Press).
The book looks at diplomatic history, popular culture and media portrayals to explore the cultural history of Turkey–Iran comparisons in the West, from Cold War-era modernisation theory to post-9/11 studies of “moderate Islam”.
Download the episode or listen below:
Read a transcript of the interview on Substack.
Use the code “PERIN2025” to get a 20% discount when buying the book on the Cambridge University Press website.
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