Turkey Book Talk

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, journalist and fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, on the ECFR's recent report: "The Discreet Charm of Hypocrisy: An EU-Turkey Power Audit." Based on interviews with top officials on all sides, the report examines bitter relations between Brussels and Ankara. It recommends finding a new model beyond the hypocritical and stalled accession process. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Diana Darke on “The Merchant of Syria: A History of Survival” (Hurst). The book traces the life of Abu Chaker, a textile merchant from Homs who lived from 1921 to 2013, in parallel with the story of the modern history of Syria - examining the social, cultural and political context that shaped him. It also touches on the emergence of the ongoing war, which Darke herself witnessed as she was living in a historical courtyard house in Damascus’ old town until a few years ago. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Max Hoffman of the Center for American Progress on the major recent study “Is Turkey Experiencing a New Nationalism?” based on focus groups and polling with the Metropoll research company. The report finds that Turkey remains a deeply nationalist, conservative country, where the national mood is prickly, defensive and conspiratorial. But it also contains some perhaps surprising details about attitudes to President Erdoğan, levels of religiosity in young people, and the political opinions of Turkish women. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Ceren Baysan of UC Berkeley on her paper "Can More Information Lead to More Voter Polarization? Experimental Evidence from Turkey." The study was based on voter surveys in the months before the April 2017 referendum on granting President Erdoğan more powers and also measured Turkish parties' own polling operations. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Mehmet Kentel on the life and work of Yusuf Franko, an obscure Ottoman bureaucrat who lived a remarkable double life as a caricaturist depicting Istanbul's cosmopolitan late 19th century high society. Kentel is a PhD Candidate in Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Washington, and was adviser to the exhibition “The Characters of Yusuf Franko: An Ottoman Bureaucrat’s Caricatures” at the Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations.  Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast, getting full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Karabekir Akkoyunlu, research associate at the University of Graz, on "Exit from Democracy: Illiberal Governance in Turkey and Beyond" (Routledge), a collection of 10 essays he co-edited with Professor Kerem Öktem. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to help develop the podcast and get full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview when it is published, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive (in English), and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Professor Edhem Eldem on "A Transnational History of the Attempt on Abdülhamid II" (Palgrave Macmillan), co-edited with Houssine Alloul and Henk de Smaele. The book explores a deadly assassination attempt targeting the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul in 1905, and appears at a time when Abdülhamid II is the subject of a growing popular obsession among religious conservatives in Turkey. Support Turkey Book Talk by making a donation via Patreon.

Arbil-based journalist Cathy Otten discusses "With Ash on their Faces: Yezidi Women and the Islamic State" (OR Books), a deeply reported account of the suffering of the Yezidi religious minority over the border in Iraq. Support Turkey Book Talk by making a donation via Patreon. Many thanks to current supporters Celia Jocelyn Kerslake, Michelle Zimmer, Jan-Markus Vömel, Steve Bryant, Aaron Ataman, Max Hoffman, Andrew MacDowall, Paul Levin, Ayla Jean Yackley and Tan Tunalı.

Journalist Ezgi Başaran on "Frontline Turkey: The Conflict at the Heart of the Middle East" (IB Tauris), a 200-page account of the collapse of the Kurdish peace process, the rise and fall of the Gülen movement, and deepening authoritarianism. Get a 33% discount plus free delivery on any of five books from Hurst Publishers, exclusive to Turkey Book Talk listeners. Support the podcast by making a donation via Patreon. Many thanks to current supporters Celia Jocelyn Kerslake, Michelle Zimmer, Jan-Markus Vömel, Steve Bryant, Aaron Ataman, Max Hoffman, Andrew MacDowall, Paul Levin, Ayla Jean Yackley and Tan Tunalı.

Palestinian author and lawyer Raja Shehadeh on "A Rift in Time: Travels with my Ottoman Uncle" (OR/Basic Books), retracing the journey of his great uncle Najib Nassar, on the run for three years in Greater Syria from 1915. Get a 33% discount plus free delivery on any of five books from Hurst Publishers, exclusive to Turkey Book Talk listeners. Support the podcast by making a donation via Patreon. Many thanks to current supporters Celia Jocelyn Kerslake, Michelle Zimmer, Jan-Markus Vömel, Steve Bryant, Aaron Ataman, Max Hoffman, Andrew MacDowall, Paul Levin, Ayla Jean Yackley and Tan Tunalı.