Turkey Book Talk

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Conversations with journalists, academics and writers on Turkey and its region. A new episode is posted every two weeks.

William Armstrong


    • Jun 24, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 36m AVG DURATION
    • 209 EPISODES

    4.9 from 44 ratings Listeners of Turkey Book Talk that love the show mention: turkey, interested, good.


    Ivy Insights

    The Turkey Book Talk podcast is an exceptional resource for those with a deep interest in Turkish history, politics, and culture. Hosted by William Armstrong, each episode provides listeners with valuable insights through engaging interviews with a diverse range of experts in their respective fields. With a focus on Modern Turkey and the surrounding region, this podcast offers both academic and general enthusiasts an easy way to stay informed about recent publications and developments.

    One of the standout features of The Turkey Book Talk podcast is the interviewer's skill in crafting thought-provoking questions that elicit insightful responses from guests. William Armstrong's extensive knowledge of the topics at hand ensures that each conversation is rich in content and intellectually stimulating. Whether you are already well-versed in Turkish history or have just begun exploring the subject, every episode provides tremendous value and expands your understanding.

    Furthermore, the podcast covers an impressive breadth of topics related to Turkey. From discussions on political events to explorations of cultural practices, there is something for everyone interested in understanding this fascinating country. The succinct 25-30 minute format allows for convenient consumption without sacrificing depth or nuance. This makes it accessible for listeners with busy schedules or those looking for bite-sized knowledge.

    However, one possible downside to The Turkey Book Talk podcast is its narrow focus on modern Turkey and its immediate vicinity. While this limitation may disappoint those seeking a more comprehensive exploration of the country's history or a broader regional perspective, it does offer a detailed examination of contemporary issues unique to Turkey. Therefore, listeners should be aware that this podcast may not cater to all aspects of their interest in Turkish history, politics, and culture.

    In conclusion, The Turkey Book Talk podcast is an invaluable resource for anyone fascinated by Turkish history, politics, and culture. The host's expertise as an interviewer and the variety of expert guests guarantee engaging discussions covering a wide range of topics. Although it may not provide a comprehensive exploration of Turkish history or offer broader regional insights, its focus on modern Turkey ensures that each episode provides both pleasure and important knowledge. Whether you are an academic seeking to stay informed or a general enthusiast looking to expand your understanding, this podcast is a must-listen.



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    Latest episodes from Turkey Book Talk

    Erik-Jan Zürcher on imperial nostalgia in Turkey and Britain

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2025 38:17


    Erik-Jan Zürcher on the uses and abuses of nostalgia for empire in contemporary Turkey and the UK. The conversation is based on Zurcher's recent lecture at the Istanbul Policy Center, “The Poison of Nostalgia”, which compared neo-Ottomanist tendencies in Turkey with the view of empire in Britain's Brexit debate. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Talin Suciyan on Armenians in Turkey after World War Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2025 29:23


    Talin Suciyan on “Armenians in Turkey after the Second World War: An Archival Reader of USSR Consular Documents” (IB Tauris/Bloomsbury). The book examines the oral testimonies of Armenians who registered to migrate to Soviet Armenia. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    David Tonge on the enduring hold of Islamic orders in Turkey

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 34:53


    David Tonge on “The Enduring Hold of Islam in Turkey: The Revival of the Religious Orders and Rise of Erdogan” (Hurst). The book explores the political, economic and social influence of key Islamic orders in the country over the last few decades. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Richard Calis on Martin Crusius and the discovery of Ottoman Greece

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 34:57


    Richard Calis on “The Discovery of Ottoman Greece: Knowledge, Encounter, and Belief in the Mediterranean World of Martin Crusius” (Harvard University Press). Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Fiona Mullen on the Cyprus question amid growing geopolitical uncertainty

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 31:04


    Fiona Mullen, director of the Nicosia-based Sapienta Economics consultancy, on uncertainty around the future of the decades-long Cyprus divide amid mounting geopolitical uncertainty and regional competition. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Bilge Yesil on Turkey's narrowing media landscape

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 30:18


    Bilge Yesil on Turkey's narrowing media landscape and internet crackdown amid political turbulence, protests and mounting pressure on critics. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Berk Esen on whether Turkey has shifted from authoritarianism to autocracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 32:05


    Berk Esen on whether Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest heralds Turkey's shift from competitive authoritarianism to autocracy, dynamics driving the government's crackdown, the international context, and critical choices facing the country's opposition. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Cuma Çiçek on PKK disarmament and the future of Turkey's Kurdish issue

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 34:09


    Cuma Çiçek, author of “The Kurds of Turkey: National, Religious and Economic Identities” (IB Tauris), on the dynamics behind Ankara's push for the PKK's dissolution, what it means for Turkish politics and what it means for the future of the Kurdish issue. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Selim Koru on Turkey's role in the emerging anti-liberal world order

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 46:46


    Selim Koru on "New Turkey and the Far Right: How Reactionary Nationalism Remade a Country" (IB Tauris). The book dives deep into the worldview driving Turkey's regime change in recent years, and its profound domestic and foreign policy implications. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Claudia Liebelt on cosmetic surgery and perceptions of beauty in Turkey

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 33:48


    Claudia Liebelt on "Istanbul Appearances: Beauty and the Making of Middle-Class Femininities in Urban Turkey" (Syracuse University Press). Based on research in beauty salons and cosmetic centres across Istanbul, the book explores the cosmetic sector's extraordinary growth in recent years. Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters get a 35% discount on all Turkey/Ottoman History books published by IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, transcripts of every interview, and links to articles related to each episode.

    Brett Wilson on Yakup Kadri's controversial late Ottoman novel 'Nur Baba'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 31:38


    Brett Wilson on his translation of Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu's 1922 novel "Nur Baba" (Routledge). The book's account of a debauched Bektashi Sufi lodge caused a sensation at the time, raising eyebrows with its depiction of an immoral, even degenerate religious community in turn-of-the-century Istanbul.   Support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. Supporters 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Omar Kadkoy on the future of Syrian migrants in Turkey

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2025 32:01


    Omar Kadkoy, foreign policy, security and migration program coordinator at Heinrich Böll Stiftung's Istanbul office, on the future of Turkey's Syrian migrant population after the fall of Assad. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Zozan Pehlivan on climatic shifts behind late Ottoman conflicts

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2025 28:50


    Zozan Pehlivan on "The Political Ecology of Violence: Peasants and Pastoralists in the Last Ottoman Century" (Cambridge University Press). The book explores how extreme climate disruptions were a major factor behind tensions between Christian Armenian peasants and Muslim Kurdish pastoralists in eastern Anatolia in the 19th century. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Samuel Hirst on a century of Ankara-Moscow cooperation

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 42:08


    Samuel J. Hirst on "Against the Liberal Order: The Soviet Union, Turkey, and Statist Internationalism, 1919-1939" (Oxford University Press). The conversation addresses key episodes of collaboration between Ankara and Moscow on political, industrial and cultural projects since the early republican era. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Ralph Hubbell on the work of Turkish literary giant Oğuz Atay

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 37:45


    Ralph Hubbell on translating Oğuz Atay's "Waiting for the Fear" (New York Review Books). Atay is widely seen as one the great Turkish fiction writers of the 20th century, but has largely yet to appear in English until now. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Jennifer Hattam on Istanbul's shifting cultural landscape

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 34:24


    Jennifer Hattam reflects on a decade-and-a-half of reporting on Turkey's environmental, political and cultural agenda, as well as wrenching changes in journalism and staying afloat amid Istanbul's relentless urban upheaval. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Salim Çevik on Turkey's Middle East reset

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024 37:09


    Salim Çevik on his recent SWP paper "Turkey's Reconciliation Efforts in the Middle East: Ambitions and Constraints in a Changing Regional Order". The paper examines Erdogan's shift away from trying to overthrow the established regional order towards rapprochement with Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Syria and others. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Orçun Selçuk on populist polarisation in Turkey and Latin America

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 40:10


    Orçun Selçuk on "The Authoritarian Divide: Populism, Propaganda, and Polarization" (University of Notre Dame Press). The book compares Turkey under Erdoğan, Venezuela under Chávez and Ecuador under Correa, showing that Turkey's experience can be more usefully compared with Latin American examples than cases of right-wing populism in Europe or Islamism in the Middle East. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Ezgi Başaran on the new spirit of Islamism

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 34:52


    Ezgi Başaran on "The New Spirit of Islamism: Interactions Between the AKP, Ennahda and the Muslim Brotherhood" (IB Tauris). The book looks at the aspirations of Islamist actors in Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia from 2011 to 2013, seeking to understand how they viewed each other and whether they prioritised pragmatism or religious ideology. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Samim Akgönül on 100 years of Turkish-Greek relations

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2024 37:35


    Samim Akgönül, director of the Department of Turkish Studies at the University of Strasbourg, on "One Hundred Years of Greek-Turkish Relations: The Human Dimension of an Ongoing Conflict" (Edinburgh University Press) Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Çağdaş Üngör on Turkey's geopolitical dilemmas in the Asia-Pacific century

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 38:39


    Çağdaş Üngör discusses her recent articles "A Bridge No More? Turkiye's Geopolitical Significance in the 21st Century" in the journal Survival and "A 'Bridge' Pushed to the Periphery? Turkey's Geopolitical Significance in the Asia-Pacific Century" in Turkish Studies. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Karabekir Akkoyunlu on religion and democracy in Turkey and Iran

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 41:35


    Karabekir Akkoyunlu, Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at SOAS, on "Guardianship and Democracy in Iran and Turkey: Tutelary Consolidation, Popular Contestation" (Edinburgh University Press). Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Eugene Rogan on communal violence and the end of the old Ottoman world

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 46:26


    Eugene Rogan on "The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World" (Allen Lane). The book examines how in July 1860 Damascus exploded in communal violence when a mostly Muslim crowd tried to exterminate the Christian community, after hundreds of years of relative peace and coexistence. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Umit Kurt on Gaziantep's forgotten Armenian past

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2024 30:01


    Umit Kurt on "The Armenians of Aintab: The Economics of Genocide in an Ottoman Province" (Harvard University Press). The book draws on archival sources, memoirs, personal papers, oral accounts and property liquidation records to detail the dispossession of Antep's Armenian community and the transfer of their wealth to Ottoman and later Turkish Muslim elites. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Ozge Samanci on visualising Istanbul's sociopolitical currents

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2024 23:43


    Ozge Samanci on her graphic novel “Evil Eyes Sea” (Uncivilized Books). The semi-autobiographical story is a murder mystery centred on a group of students at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University in the 1990s. It follows up from her highly successful graphic novel “Dare to Disappoint”. Become a member on Patreon or Substack 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Sami Kent on stories from Turkey's first hundred years

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2024 32:40


    Sami Kent on “The Endless Country: A Personal Journey Through Turkey's First Hundred Years” (Picador). The book paints a portrait of Turkey by combining accounts of key events with Sami's personal reflections on growing up learning about his paternal homeland from afar, before coming to work in the country as a journalist. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Bradley Secker on the pleasures and perils of photojournalism in Istanbul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2024 38:53


    Istanbul-based photojournalist Bradley Secker discusses his work on migration, LGBT+ asylum seekers in the Middle East and Europe, the difficulties of practicing journalism in Turkey and the broader state of photojournalism. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Bilge Yesil on Turkey's global media operations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 46:17


    Bilge Yesil on “Talking Back to the West: How Turkey Uses Counter-Hegemony to Reshape the Global Communication Order” (University of Illinois Press). The book examines how Erdogan's regime has mobilised English-language media to counter foreign criticism and project Turkey as a rising power opposed to Western imperialism, supposedly giving a voice to oppressed Muslims around the world. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon or Substack. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky on Muslim refugees in the Ottoman Empire

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2024 40:44


    Vladimir Hamed-Troyansky on “Empire of Refugees: North Caucasian Muslims and the Late Ottoman State” (Stanford University Press). The book explores the forced migration from the Russian Empire of around one million Muslims, who settled in the Ottoman Empire between the 1850s and World War One. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Patreon 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Emre Toros on Turkey between democracy and authoritarianism

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2024 28:32


    Emre Toros on “Electoral Integrity in Turkey” (Edinburgh University Press). The book weighs up the country's democratic credentials after over two decades of rule by Erdogan's party, painting an ambivalent picture combining both optimism and pessimism. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Patreon 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Christopher Phillips on Turkey's place in Middle East turbulence

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 49:43


    Christopher Phillips on “Battleground: Ten Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East” (Yale University Press). The conversation explores the region's shifting rivalries, as well as how Turkey's push for greater influence in Syria, Iraq and Libya has impacted its ties with other ambitious powers. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Patreon 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Seda Demiralp on Turkey's surprise local election results

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 39:58


    Seda Demiralp on what the recent local election results mean for Turkish politics. The conversation takes in what the main opposition CHP did right, what the ruling AKP did wrong, the emerging challenge to Erdogan posed by the Yeniden Refah Party, and the performance of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Patreon 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Andrew Finkel on Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and Sherlock Holmes

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2024 30:54


    Andrew Finkel, a veteran journalist based in Turkey for decades, on his debut novel “The Adventure of the Second Wife: The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan” (Even Keel Press). It is a sprawling story exploring the mystery of Abdulhamid II's obsession with Sherlock Holmes. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk. Patreon 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Bahar Baser on Turkey's brain drain

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 39:52


    Bahar Baser on “An Exodus from Turkey: Tales of Migration and Exile” (Edinburgh University Press), co-edited with Erdi Ozturk. The book examines the current wave of migration from Turkey, focusing on the experiences of 21 different public figures living overseas. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    İlkay Yılmaz on the origins of the Ottoman Turkish security state

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2024 32:18


    İlkay Yılmaz on “Ottoman Passports: Security and Geographic Mobility, 1876-1908” (Syracuse University Press). The book examines how paranoia about nationalist, anarchist and revolutionary movements spread during the era of Abdulhamid II, prompting new methods aiming to control subjects of the Ottoman state. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Alexander Christie-Miller on Turkey and the people of Istanbul's historic walls

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2024 44:11


    Alexander Christie-Miller on “To The City: Life and Death Along the Ancient Walls of Istanbul” (William Collins). He worked for many years as the Times of London's Turkey correspondent and the book is a sophisticated meditation on contemporary life and politics in the country. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Tuğba Tekerek on the crisis in Turkish academia

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2024 38:58


    Tuğba Tekerek on “Provincial Universities: The AK Party's Backyard Campus" (İletişim). The book examines the government's push to open over 100 universities across Turkey over the past two decades, painting a picture of falling academic standards but increased outlets for the ruling party's religious nationalist ideology.  Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon. 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 links to articles related to each episode.

    Timur Hammond on religion and change in Istanbul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2024 36:36


    Timur Hammond on “Placing Islam: Geographies of Connection in Twentieth-Century Istanbul” (University of California Press). The book is a sociological and historical study tracing the changing character of Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district, its industrial and commercial history, and its role in the emergence of political Islam in Turkey. Become a member to support Turkey Book Talk on Patreon. 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 links to related content with each episode.

    İlkim Büke Okyar on Arabs in Turkish popular culture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2024 32:53


    İlkim Büke Okyar on “Arabs in Turkish Political Cartoons, 1876-1950: National Self and Non-National Other” (Syracuse University Press). The conversation addresses how Arabs are typically viewed in Turkish popular culture, also examining the impact of the influx of Syrian migrants since 2011 and the Israel-Gaza war. 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.

    Berk Esen on the future of Turkey's opposition and the fate of its democracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 49:03


    Berk Esen on the troubled future of Turkey's democracy and the challenges facing its opposition parties heading into 2024. Berk recently co-authored “Turkey's New Regime: Competitive Authoritarianism” (Iletisim) along with Hakan Yavuzyilmaz and Sebnem Gumuscu. 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.

    Sinem Adar on Turkey's dilemmas amid the Israel-Gaza war

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023 35:15


    Sinem Adar, associate at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, on Turkey's response to the Israel-Gaza war. The conversation builds on her recent article arguing that the crisis shows the limits of Turkey's regional influence. 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.

    Cihan Dizdaroğlu on Turkey-Greece ties through turbulence and rapprochement

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2023 37:34


    Cihan Dizdaroğlu on “Turkish-Greek Relations: Foreign Policy in a Securitisation Framework” (Edinburgh University Press). The book looks at how ties between Athens and Ankara have gone through various cycles of improvement and deterioration from the early Republic of Turkey to 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.

    Alp Yenen on weighing up the Republic of Turkey's legacy at 100 years

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 30:50


    Alp Yenen on “A Hundred Years of Republican Turkey: A History in a Hundred Fragments” (Leiden University Press). The book includes 100 chapters, written by over 70 scholars, examining different aspects of Turkey's political, social, cultural and economic history on the centenary of the republic's founding. 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.

    Nilay Özok-Gündoğan on political authority in Ottoman Kurdistan

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2023 45:24


    Nilay Özok-Gündoğan on “The Kurdish Nobility in the Ottoman Empire: Loyalty, Autonomy and Privilege” (Edinburgh University Press). The book narrates the rise and fall of the Kurdish nobility in the Ottoman east, as well as how their autonomy was abolished as the empire modernised and centralised from 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.

    Onur İşçi on post-war Turkey-Soviet relations and Ankara's ties with Russia today

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2023 30:46


    Onur İşçi on “Turkey at a Crossroads: The Soviet Threat and Postwar Realignment, 1945-1946”, published in the journal Diplomatic History. The article reexamines the time when the Soviet Union made military and territorial demands, ultimately pushing Turkey towards Nato. The conversation also touches on Ankara's complicated present-day policy towards Moscow. 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.

    Spyros Sofos on Turkey's many nationalisms

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 26:28


    Spyros Sofos on “Turkish Politics and ‘The People': Mass Mobilisation and Populism” (Edinburgh University Press). The book delves into the ambiguities behind the term “the people” from the late Ottoman era to today, and how religious, secularist, left-wing and right-wing projects have used it for different ends. 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.

    Pat Yale on travelling around Turkey in the footsteps of Gertrude Bell

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2023 33:49


    Pat Yale on “Following Miss Bell: Travels Around Turkey in the Footsteps of Gertrude Bell” (Trailblazer). The book tracks the footsteps of archaeologist, writer and explorer Gertrude Bell, who travelled extensively throughout Anatolia from 1899 until the outbreak of the First World War. 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.

    Anthony Bigio on Gad Franco, Sephardi Turkish patriot in times of turmoil

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 21, 2023 37:07


    Anthony Gad Bigio on “A Sephardi Turkish Patriot: Gad Franco in the Turmoil of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic” (Hamilton Books). The book describes the turbulent and difficult life of Gad Franco, a prominent journalist, social activist and lawyer in the late Ottoman and early republican eras. 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.

    James Meyer on the life and times of Nazim Hikmet and his generation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2023 52:40


    James Meyer on “Red Star over the Black Sea: Nazım Hikmet and His Generation” (Oxford University Press), a new biography of the great 20th century poet. It draws on previously untapped archival sources to situate Nazım Hikmet within a broader generation of border-crossing Turkish communists. 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.

    Şebnem Gümüşcü on the past and future of Islamism in Turkey

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2023 44:28


    Şebnem Gümüşcü on “Democracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia” (Cambridge University Press). The book looks in depth at how intra-party factional struggles were key in shaping the AKP's authoritarian direction, while also comparing this with Islamist parties in Egypt and Tunisia. 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.

    Constanze Letsch on gentrification and displacement in Istanbul

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 49:30


    Constanze Letsch on “Territorial Stigmatisation: Urban Renewal and Displacement in a Central Istanbul Neighbourhood” (Transcript). The book examines a controversial project to demolish and rebuild Istanbul's historic, troubled Tarlabaşı neighbourhood, the impact it had on locals, and what it tells us about 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.

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