Religion, Identity, and Power in Turkey and the Balkans: A Conversation with Ahmet Erdi Öztürk

Turkey and its recent ethno-religious transformation have had a strong impact on state identity and Turkey’s relationship to the Balkan Peninsula. Ahmet Erdi Öztürk, associate professor and Marie Curie fellow at Coventry University (CTPSR) and London Metropolitan University, examines Turkey’s ethno-religious activism and power-related political strategies in the Balkans between 2002 and 2020 in his new book Religion, Identity and Power: Turkey and the Balkans in the Twenty-First Century (2021).

Nukhet Sandal, chair and associate professor of political science at Ohio University, will join Öztürk to examine the effects of Turkey’s authoritarian turn during Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, particularly in the domain of foreign policy. They will examine the role of religion, ethnicity, state identity, and power in relations between Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula, systematically look at domestic and international policies of the AKP through the lens of religion, and discuss the complex entanglements between each realm in a regional and global context. Berkley Center Senior Research Fellow Peter Mandaville will serve as moderator.

This event will be recorded and a captioned video will be posted to the event page after the event date. Please RSVP to receive an email notification once it is posted.