Turkey Book Talk #192 – Tezcan Gümüş of the University of Melbourne on “Turkey’s Political Leaders: Authoritarian Tendencies in a Democratic State” (Edinburgh University Press).
The book shows how almost all major political leaders throughout Turkey’s multi-party history have demonstrated authoritarian and undemocratic traits, reflecting and fostering the various failings of Turkey’s democratic system.
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Turkey Book Talk #191 – Paul Levin, director of Stockholm University’s Institute for Turkish Studies, on “Migration from Turkey to Sweden: Integration, Belonging and Transnational Community” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury), co-authored with Bahar Baser.
The conversation looks at the demographic profile of the Turkey-origin migrants in Sweden, the power dynamics of Turkish and Kurdish communities in the country, and the imbroglio over Ankara’s continued non-ratification of Stockholm’s Nato membership bid.
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Turkey Book Talk #189 – Doğan Gürpınar, historian at Istanbul Technical University, on “Apparatchiks and Ideologues in Islamist Turkey: The Intellectual Order of Islamism and Populism” (Palgrave Macmillan).
The book gives a sweeping overview of the public messaging that underpins support for the Erdogan government in Turkey’s popular media sphere, as well as some of the individuals and institutions that contribute to crafting of message in the pro-government media industrial complex.
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Gönül Tol on Erdogan’s wars at home and abroad
November 8, 2022
Turkey Book Talk #180 – Gönül Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC, on “Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria” (Oxford University Press).
The book tells the story of how developments in Syria have played a unique role in Erdogan’s political strategy, helping him construct his identity, consolidate his base, and divide and eliminate his domestic rivals. He has done this by shifting shape, emphasising different shades of Islamist or nationalist ideology at different times.
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Galip Dalay on the nuances of Turkey’s Middle East reset
September 13, 2022
Turkey Book Talk # 176 – Galip Dalay, associate fellow at Chatham House and non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, on his recent paper “Turkey’s Middle East Reset: A Precursor for Reescalation?”
The article looks in depth at Turkey’s bid to mend fences with previously bitter rivals including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, toning down its revisionist zeal in order to return to something like the pre-Arab Spring status quo. Dalay looks at the push and pull factors behind this initiative, the challenges it faces, and some of the possible exceptions.
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Jan-Markus Vomel on Islamism and masculinity in Turkey
August 30, 2022
Turkey Book Talk 175 – Jan-Markus Vomel, doctoral student at the University of Konstanz, on his article “Pathos and Discipline: Islamist Masculinity in Turkey, 1950-2000”, published in the journal Zeithistorische Forschungen (Studies in Contemporary History).
The article examines how political Islam in Turkey weaponised ideas of virility, manliness and strength to mobilise against what it saw as the emasculating forces of secularism and Westernisation.
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Check out Jan’s previous appearance on the podcast from November 2020.
Become a member on Patreon to support Turkey Book Talk. Members get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, links to related content upon publication of each episode, and over 200 book reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.
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Dimitar Bechev on Turkey’s trajectory under Erdoğan
July 5, 2022
Turkey Book Talk episode 171 – Dimitar Bechev, lecturer at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, on “Turkey Under Erdoğan: How a Country Turned from Democracy and the West” (Yale University Press)
The book gives a neat overview of how the country and Erdogan came to where they are today, covering domestic and foreign politics at this crucial point ahead of elections scheduled for next year.
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Check out Dimitar’s previous appearance on the podcast from back in August 2018.
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Birol Başkan on Islamism and Turkish foreign policy
April 12, 2022
Turkey Book Talk episode 165 – Birol Başkan, non-resident scholar at The Middle East Institute, on “The Nation or the Ummah: Islamism and Turkish Foreign Policy” (SUNY Press), co-written with Ömer Taşpınar.
The book examines Turkey’s foreign policy during the Arab Spring era, when Ankara threw its weight behind protest movements seeking to overthrow established regimes around the Middle East. This period was distinct from the early years of Erdogan’s government, as well as more recent times when Turkey has sought to patch things up with regional adversaries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
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Federico Donelli on Turkey’s push into Africa
October 26, 2021
Turkey Book Talk episode #153 – Federico Donelli, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Genoa, on “Turkey in Africa: Turkey’s Strategic Involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury).
The book examines Ankara’s bid to boost its diplomatic, cultural, economic and defence influence in Africa, the effects this has had on the ground, and what to expect in the coming years.
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Soner Çağaptay on the crises facing Turkey’s Erdoğan
September 14, 2021
Turkey Book Talk episode #150 – Soner Çağaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, on “A Sultan in Autumn: Erdogan Faces Turkey’s Uncontrollable Forces” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury).
The book describes the myriad political challenges facing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at home and abroad, and speculates about his potential response.
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A PDF of the book is available for free download via the Washington Institute’s website.
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Support Turkey Book Talk by becoming a member. Members get a 30% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, transcripts of the whole archive, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.
Ahmet Erdi Öztürk on Turkey’s cultural, political and religious footprint in the Balkans
April 13, 2021
Turkey Book Talk episode #139 – Ahmet Erdi Öztürk, associate professor and Marie Curie fellow at London Metropolitan University and Coventry University, and non-resident scholar at ELIAMEP, on “Religion, Identity and Power: Turkey and the Balkans in the Twenty-First Century” (Edinburgh University Press).
Based on extensive fieldwork in the region, the book examines how Turkey’s religious nationalist transformation under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reflected in its expanding footprint in the Balkans.
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Support Turkey Book Talk by becoming a member. Members get extras including exclusive access to a 30% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman history books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, English and Turkish transcripts of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire archive of episodes, and an archive of 231 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history, journalism and politics.
Turkey Book Talk episode #137 – Jeremy Seal on “A Coup in Turkey: A Tale of Democracy, Despotism and Vengeance in a Divided Land” (Chatto & Windus/Penguin).
The book blends biography, history and reportage to explore the legacy of Adnan Menderes, who became the Republic of Turkey’s first democratically elected prime minister in 1950 before being overthrown in a military coup in May 1960. It also weaves this story in with developments in contemporary Turkey under President Erdoğan, who often presents himself as inheriting Menderes’ political legacy.
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Support Turkey Book Talk by becoming a member. Members get extras including exclusive access to a 30% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman history books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, English and Turkish transcripts of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire archive of episodes, and an archive of 231 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history, journalism and politics.
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