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Turkish Studies Initiative

Doorway in Goreme, Turkey
Doorway in Goreme, Turkey

Turkish Studies Initiative offers a cross-regional, comparative, and multi-disciplinary exploration of history, political economy, and culture in the context of the Ottoman Empire and the contemporary Turkey.

In their pursuit of becoming global citizens, Stanford students acquire and contribute to the collective body of contemporary thought about Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. Undergraduate and graduate courses offered by our faculty affiliates employ wide array of theoretical orientations and methodologies. Some courses take Stanford students to the actual sites in Turkey, such as Çatalhöyükİstanbul, or İzmir. Others offer cutting-edge training in a small classroom setting enriched by thorough discussion.  Both Ottoman and modern Turkish language courses are offered for conversational and research purposes, addressing various levels of fluency.

Through the Turkish Studies initiative, we sponsor lecture series, academic conferences, film screenings, and outreach events, bringing scholars together with entrepreneurs and policy-makers to critically engage with pressing political and economic issues facing Turkey. In 2007, we hosted Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk with the participation of over seventeen hundred people. In 2010, our 2-day Conference on Islam and Secularism in Contemporary Turkey produced a well-attended forum and book chapters or journal articles published in various venues. In 2011, we sponsored a Turkish Film Poster Art Exhibit, which was first showcased at Stanford and later traveled to the Washington, D.C. Effective September 2015, we collaborate with Stanford's Abbasi Program in organizing  Turkish/Ottoman Studies Student Network, providing an interdisciplinary forum for Stanford students to discuss their intellectual and professional interests. 

Past Events

DateTuesday, June 6, 2017
12:30 pm, 12:30pm
Location:
Encina Hall West, Room 219

The talk follows the trajectories of the survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide who remained inside Turkish borders in the 1920s and 30s.

DateThursday, June 1, 2017
12:00 pm, 12pm
Location:
Encina Hall West, Room 219

Suhnaz Yilmaz

Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA & Koc University (Istanbul, Turkey)

 

DateSaturday, April 29, 2017
5:00 pm, 5pm
Location:
Building 320, Room 105
Screening & Discussion

The Last Schnitzel ("Son Şnitzel") (Dir.

DateThursday, April 20, 2017
6:00 pm, 6pm
Location:
Building 320, Room 105 (450 Serra Mall)

Screening & Discussion

DateMonday, October 24, 2016
12:00 pm, 12pmto 1:00 pm, 1pm
Location:
Bechtel International Center, Assembly Room (584 Capistrano Way)
Burcak Keskin-Kozat (Stanford University), The Turkish Summer?