Turkey Book Talk

Michael Provence of UC San Diego on "The Last Ottoman Generation and the Making of the Modern Middle East" (Cambridge University Press). The book examines both continuities and ruptures in the years during and after the First World War, when the fall of the Ottoman Empire led to seismic shocks across the Middle East. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast and get full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Jonathan Varjabedian on “My Dear Son Garabed: Kojaian Family Letters from Efkere/Kayseri to America (1912-1919)” (Histor Press), a remarkable collection of letters sent from the Anatolian village of Efkere between 1912 and 1919. They were sent to Garabed Kojaian and his father Harutian, among the many Ottoman Armenians migrating to America in the early 20th century. Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast and get full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Cengiz Erişen of Istanbul's Yeditepe University on "Political Behavior and the Emotional Citizen: Participation and Reaction in Turkey" (Palgrave Macmillan), focusing on the months between the June 2015 and November 2015 elections as well as the current campaign for the snap presidential and parliamentary elections.  Become a Turkey Book Talk member to support the podcast and get full transcripts (in English and Turkish) of every interview upon publication, transcripts of the entire Turkey Book Talk archive, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Erin Banco on "Pipe Dreams: The Plundering of Iraq's Oil Wealth" (Columbia Global Reports), uncovering squalid deals, unscrupulous foreign oil companies, and rampant corruption in the Kurdistan Regional Government since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It also touches on Turkey's role in fostering Erbil's independence from Baghdad through oil deals. 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, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

John McManus, fellow at the British Institute at Ankara, on "Welcome to Hell? In Search of the Real Turkish Football" (W&N), a colourful exploration of what the beautiful game can tell us about a football-mad society and Turkey’s modern history. 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, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

Volkan Yılmaz, assistant professor of social policy at Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University, on “The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey” (Palgrave Macmillan). The book examines reforms in the country’s healthcare system under the AKP since 2003: What changed? What improved? What got worse? Who gained? Who lost? 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, and access to an exclusive 30% discount on over 200 Turkey/Ottoman history titles published by IB Tauris.

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.