Imagining Turkey

UCL Institute for Global Prosperity
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Imagination, as an analytical angle, deserves our attention as a political and social force that informs and connects masses, crosses borders, and manifests new socialities. The podcast series will host influential scholars, intellectuals, and artists who study and shape the imagination of Turkey on a global scale from various critical directions. The topics in the following months will include discussions on democracy in Turkey, the politics of religious differences at the border, and the limits of ethnographic research methods. 'Imagining Turkey' is co-hosted by the project PI Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu (UCL), M. Zișan Köker (LUC), and Hazal Aydın (BU). This series is sponsored by the European Research Council, and hosted in collaboration with the UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity and the Middle East Centre.

Episodes

  1. JAN 7

    Imagining Wastelands: Turkey's Waste and Recycling Policy at the Periphery with Adnan Khan

    In this episode, the Takhayyul Project welcomes Adnan Khan, an acclaimed Canadian writer, editor, photographer, and visual storyteller. We discuss Adnan's recent work chronicling how the global trade in plastic waste has exploited some of the most vulnerable communities, such as refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Istanbul, and of the importance in bringing empathy and depth to similar stories that often go untold.  Date of episode recording: 2025-11-09 Language of episode: English Presenters: Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın. Guests: Adnan Khan Producer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın; edited by Alexander Pymm

    39 min

  2. 06/20/2025

    Imagining Turkey with Gündüz Vassaf

    In this episode, we welcome acclaimed writer, psychologist, and intellectual Gündüz Vassaf, whose work spans 17 published books blending literature, philosophy, and psychology. Author of the bestselling "Prisoners of Ourselves: Totalitarianism in Everyday Life" and his more recent novel "The Painter's Rebellion," Vassaf explores with us what it means to imagine Turkey, to be ‘Turkish’ and to be part of a community in the context of some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as global warming, Artificial Intelligence and an increasingly polarised political landscape. Transcription link: https://www.takhayyulproject.com/takhayyul-podcast-youtube Date of episode recording: 2025-05-19T00:00:00ZDuration: 00:35:58Language of episode: EnglishPresenter:Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal AydınGuests: Gündüz VassafProducer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın. Edited by Alexander Pymm

    36 min

  3. 06/03/2025

    Imagining Turkey Through Romeyka: A conversation with Professor Ioanna Sitaridou

    In this episode, we are hosting Professor Ioanna Sitaridou, Professor of Spanish and Historical Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and co director of the Cambridge Centre for Greek Studies. Professor Sitaridou is widely known for her pioneering work in the study and preservation of languages, including her ongoing with the Romeyka Project, which aims to document and spread awareness of the now-endangered Greek dialect, spoken in Northern Anatolia. www.takhayyulproject.com/takhayyul-podcast-youtube Date of episode recording: 2024-11-08T00:00:00ZDuration: 00:40:09Language of episode: EnglishPresenter:Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal AydınGuests: Professor Ioanna SitaridouProducer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın. Edited by Alexander Pymm

    40 min

  4. 04/25/2025

    Turkey at the Genetic Crossroads with Dr Elise Burton

    In this episode, we host Dr Elise Burton, an historian of science, race and nationalism in the modern Middle East and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. As part of a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss some of Dr Burton's findings from her recent book, “Genetic Crossroads: The Middle East and the Science of Human Heredity”, within which she draws on archival research across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States using sources in Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and Hebrew, to explore how Middle Eastern peoples—both as scientific actors and research subjects—have played an important role in the history of human genetics. Date of episode recording: 2025-01-29T00:00:00ZDuration: 00:35:26Language of episode: EnglishPresenter:Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal AydınGuests: Dr Elise BurtonProducer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın. Edited by Alexander Pymm.

    35 min

  5. 10/28/2024

    Imagining Turkey through cartoons: Ozge Samanci and her graphic novels

    In this episode, we host Dr. Özge Samanci from Northwestern University - School of Communication. We talk about her latest work "Evil Eyes Sea", as well as how she started her career and what her future projects are. Transcription link:  https://web.descript.com/eba89e5c-6cc5-46b5-97fa-de5bb84c6c47/db319?editorVariant=default  Date of episode recording: 2024-06-28T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:34:05 Language of episode: English Presenter:Dr. Sertac Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zisan Koker; Hazal Aydin Guests: Dr. Ozge Samanci Producer: Meryem Zişan Köker, Hazal Aydin

    34 min

  6. 07/01/2024

    Thinking differently about the World: Before the West with Prof. Ayse Zarakol

    In this episode, we host Prof Ayse Zarakol from University of Cambridge and talk about her fascinating book "Before The West".  Date of episode recording: 2024-01-22T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:29:38 Language of episode: English Guests: Prof. Ayse Zarakol Producer: ERC, UCL, IGP, Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu, Meryem Zisan Koker, Hazal Aydin.

    30 min

  7. 03/18/2024

    Imagining Turkey from the Balkans: A Conversation with Prof Maria Todorova

    In this episode, we are hosting Professor Maria Todorova from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to revisit her illuminating book 'Imagining The Balkans.' Professor Todorova specializes in Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkans in the modern period, focusing on historical demography, nationalism, socialism, and post-communism. Her work has had a major influence on the study of the Balkans and Orientalism as interconnected subjects and project.  Date of episode recording: 2023-07-18T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:42:25 Language of episode: English Presenter: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın. Guests: Professor Maria Todorova Producer: Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu; Meryem Zișan Köker; Hazal Aydın.

    42 min

  8. 02/01/2024

    Re-imagining Turkey with Cemil Aydin and The Idea of the Muslim World

    In this first episode, we are having Prof. Cemil Aydin from UNC. Join us in our inaugural episode as we delve into the rich tapestry of Turkey's history, its current dynamics, and the prospects for its future with the esteemed Professor Cemil Aydin from the University of North Carolina. In this engaging conversation, we center our discussion around Prof. Aydin's illuminating book, "The Idea of the Muslim World: A Global Intellectual History." "The Idea of the Muslim World" serves as a guiding thread throughout our conversation, unraveling the intricate intellectual history that has influenced Turkey's perceptions and interactions with the broader Muslim world. Prof. Aydin takes us on a captivating journey through Turkey's past, offering insights into the diverse cultural, intellectual, and historical dimensions that have shaped the nation. this episode promises a thought-provoking exploration guided by one of the foremost scholars in the field. Tune in as we uncover the layers of Turkey's past, assess its present, and contemplate the potential trajectories that may shape its future. Link to transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/igp/podcasts/imagining-turkey-podcast   Date of episode recording: 2023-05-09 Duration: 00:44:10 Language of episode: English TAGS: #Imagination, #Turkey, #Takhayyul, #IGP, #History, #Ottoman, #Muslim Presenters:  Dr. Sertac Sehlikoglu, Meryem Zișan Köker, Hazal Aydın  Guests: Prof. Cemil Aydın  Producer and Editor: Meryem Zișan Köker, Hazal Aydın  Imagination, as an analytical angle, deserves our attention as a political and social force that informs and connects masses, crosses borders, and manifests new socialities. The podcast series will host influential scholars, intellectuals, and artists who study and shape the imagination of Turkey on a global scale from various critical directions. The topics in the following months will include discussions on democracy in Turkey, the politics of religious differences at the border, and the limits of ethnographic research methods. 'Imagining Turkey' is co-hosted by the PI Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu (UCL), M. Zișan Köker (LUC), and Hazal Aydın (BU). This series is sponsored by the European Research Council, and hosted in collaboration with the UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity and the Middle East Centre.

    44 min

  9. 10/25/2023

    Imagining Turkey: Introduction

    Throughout this podcast series, we will discuss various topics at the intersections of populist, nationalist and religious movements, formations of various forms of political imaginations in, and around, and about Turkey. We will be hosting renowned scholars, artists, public intellectuals, and activists. In this very first introductory episode, We are briefly talking about the scholarly intentions of the ERC funded Takhayyul Project, why we think it is necessary to have a closer look at imagination as an analytical tool, and finally, why we want to focus on Turkey and imagination at the intersection of these two in particular.

    6 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

Imagination, as an analytical angle, deserves our attention as a political and social force that informs and connects masses, crosses borders, and manifests new socialities. The podcast series will host influential scholars, intellectuals, and artists who study and shape the imagination of Turkey on a global scale from various critical directions. The topics in the following months will include discussions on democracy in Turkey, the politics of religious differences at the border, and the limits of ethnographic research methods. 'Imagining Turkey' is co-hosted by the project PI Dr. Sertaç Sehlikoglu (UCL), M. Zișan Köker (LUC), and Hazal Aydın (BU). This series is sponsored by the European Research Council, and hosted in collaboration with the UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity and the Middle East Centre.

Information

  • Creator
    UCL Institute for Global Prosperity
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 UCL Institute for Global Prosperity