Turkey Book Talk

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.

Editor Lora Sarı on Aras, a publishing house set up in 1993 in Istanbul as a "window onto Armenian literature." We also discuss Migirdic Margosyan's classic "Infidel Quarter," published this year as Aras' first English-language title. 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 and Tan Tunalı.

Özlem Madi-Şişman on her book "Muslims, Money and Democracy in Turkey: Reluctant Capitalists" (Palgrave Macmillan). 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 and Tan Tunalı.

Fikret Adaman of Istanbul's Boğaziçi University on "Neoliberal Turkey and its Discontents: Economic Policy and the Environment under Erdoğan" (IB Tauris). 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 and Paul Levin.

Alexander Clarkson of Kings College London discusses his research on the Turkish and Kurdish diaspora in Germany, the long shadow of Turkey's 1980 military coup, and the bitter state of ties between Turkey and Germany today. 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 and Paul Levin.