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.

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.

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.