Turkey Book Talk

Ryan Gingeras on “The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire 1918-1922” (Allen Lane). The conversation addresses events between the end of the First World War and the declaration of the Turkish Republic, while also touching on how these years are remembered in today's Turkey. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Enno Maessen, lecturer in political history at Utrecht University, on “Representing Modern Istanbul: Urban History and International Institutions in Twentieth Century Beyoglu” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book examines convulsive changes in Istanbul's historical Beyoglu district over the past century. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Gönül Tol, director of the Turkey program at the Middle East Institute, on “Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria” (Oxford University Press). The book describes how developments in Syria have helped Turkey's president divide and eliminate his domestic rivals and consolidate his base.  Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Elise Massicard on “Street-Level Governing: Negotiating the State in Urban Turkey” (Stanford University Press). The book dives deep into the world of muhtars, the lowest administrative rung in Turkey, looking first-hand at how they chart a course between local residents and higher authorities in the country. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Jonathan Parry, Professor of Modern British History at the University of Cambridge, on “Promised Lands: The British and the Ottoman Middle East” (Princeton University Press). The book charts British engagement with the Ottoman authorities and local communities across the Middle East in the 19th century. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Sevgi Adak on “Anti-Veiling Campaigns in Turkey: State, Society and Gender in the Early Republic” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book examines measures taken by the authorities against women’s veiling, as well as other forms of clothing, in the 1920s and 1930s. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Galip Dalay on his Middle East Council on Global Affairs paper “Turkey’s Middle East Reset: A Precursor for Reescalation?” The piece looks at Ankara's bid to mend fences with previously bitter rivals including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, the challenges it faces, and some of the exceptions. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Jan-Markus Vomel on his article “Pathos and Discipline: Islamist Masculinity in Turkey, 1950-2000”, published in the journal Zeithistoriche Forschungen. The piece explores how Turkish Islamism weaponised ideas of virility and manliness against what it saw as the emasculating forces of secularism and Westernisation. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Saniye Dedeoglu on “Syrian Refugees and Agriculture in Turkey Work, Precarity, Survival” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book looks at Syrians' integration into Turkey’s labour market, its effect on relations between men and women, and the role of child labour in the agriculture sector. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Gönül Bozoğlu on “Museums, Emotion and Memory Culture: The Politics of the Past in Turkey” (Routledge). The book examines Istanbul's Panorama 1453 Museum and Ankara's Atatürk and War of Independence Museum to show how history in Turkey is often a battleground where contemporary identities clash for supremacy. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Murat Somer on “Return to Point Zero: The Turkish-Kurdish Question and How Politics and Ideas (Re)Make Empires, Nations and States” (SUNY Press). The book examines how Turkey's Kurdish question emerged decades ago and why that formative period is still crucial today. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Dimitar Bechev on “Turkey Under Erdogan: How a Country Turned from Democracy and the West” (Yale University Press). The book gives a neat overview of how the country and President Erdogan came to where they are today, ahead of crucial elections scheduled for next year. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Amy Marie Spangler on the great author Leyla Erbil (1931-2013) and her novel "A Strange Woman", first published in 1971. Spangler just co-translated a new English edition of the book, published by Deep Vellum, building on an original translation by Nermin Menemencioğlu. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Murat Metinsoy on “The Power of the People: Everyday Resistance and Dissent in the Making of Modern Turkey, 1923-38” (Cambridge University Press). The book examines how ordinary people's reaction to Kemalist reforms shaped, modified or softened how those reforms were implemented on the ground. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Reuben Silverman on “Borderline Personalities: Lives at the Political, Social and Geographic Edges of Modern Turkey” (Libra Books). The book brings together pieces from his website largely focusing on figures from the political, social and cultural margins to illuminate broader themes of modern Turkish history.  Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics. 

Sarah-Neel Smith on “Metrics of Modernity: Art and Development in Postwar Turkey” (University of California Press). The book paints a vivid portrait of Turkey's art world in the 1950s and how it reflected early Cold War ideas of national development, individual enterprise and global integration. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Suat Kınıklıoğlu on his report “Eurasianism in Turkey”, published by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs' Centre for Applied Turkey Studies. The report examines the influence of Turkish-style Eurasianism, a worldview favouring Ankara's break from Nato in favour of strategic alignment with Russia and/or China. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Birol Başkan 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. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.

Andrea Lemieux on “The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine”, covering the regions, grapes and history of winemaking in Turkey, as well as the political and economic challenges facing producers in the country today. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.  

Noah Amir Arjomand on “Fixing Stories: Local Newsmaking and International Media in Turkey and Syria" (Cambridge University Press). The book is a detailed study of the role of fixers - locals who intermediate between journalists and sources - in international coverage on Turkey and Syria. Become a member 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, and over 200 reviews covering Turkish and international fiction, history and politics.