Thoughtful - shrewd observations that betray more than a casual conversation over the English breakfast! Turkey took on European nationalism as an antidote to weakness and chose the French unitary state model. The consequences were heavy, but the weakness has transitioned into strength. I'm sure a historian looking at the development of modern Turkey and modern China would find many parallels. In no particular order: an uncomplicated embrace of modernity and technology. An ability to build infrastructure. A love-hate relationship with the West. Obsession with strategic autonomy and energy security. Distrust of regionalism... many differences too, of course.
Neither of these are bang up to date, but Norman Stone's "Turkey: A Short History" from 2010 and Hannah Lucinda Smith's "Erdoğan Rising", 2019 would be a good start. I also have a weakness for Cornucopia Magazine (www.cornucopia.net): lots of gorgeous and dreamy photography but also some book reviews and the like. I'm visiting Istanbul at the moment and it's sad to watch democratic institutions being gradually taken apart, though the push-back by Opposition and civil society is impressive too and it's not clear whether creeping autocracy is a sign of strength or weakness.
Cindy, surely you must have been approached by Chinese Intelligence give your influential position and presumably vestigial loyalty to your ancestral home? Would be good material for an article
Yes, a thought I’ve had time & time again when travelling. There’s definitely more to it than the popularisation of the newspaper and people’s changing sense of time, à la Benedict Anderson, and I say this as a Benedict Anderson fan. Read quite a good China-specific book on invented nationalism by Prasenjit Duara, can’t remember the title, and bought another one by Suisheng Zhao but haven’t read it yet. Pretty depressing to see the amount of tribalism people have unleashed both in Istanbul and in London (walked through the centre last Saturday, just by chance)
Thoughtful - shrewd observations that betray more than a casual conversation over the English breakfast! Turkey took on European nationalism as an antidote to weakness and chose the French unitary state model. The consequences were heavy, but the weakness has transitioned into strength. I'm sure a historian looking at the development of modern Turkey and modern China would find many parallels. In no particular order: an uncomplicated embrace of modernity and technology. An ability to build infrastructure. A love-hate relationship with the West. Obsession with strategic autonomy and energy security. Distrust of regionalism... many differences too, of course.
Neither of these are bang up to date, but Norman Stone's "Turkey: A Short History" from 2010 and Hannah Lucinda Smith's "Erdoğan Rising", 2019 would be a good start. I also have a weakness for Cornucopia Magazine (www.cornucopia.net): lots of gorgeous and dreamy photography but also some book reviews and the like. I'm visiting Istanbul at the moment and it's sad to watch democratic institutions being gradually taken apart, though the push-back by Opposition and civil society is impressive too and it's not clear whether creeping autocracy is a sign of strength or weakness.
Yes I was esp struck by the similar love-hate relationship with the West! Do you have any recommended books to get more into Turkey’s experience?
Cindy, surely you must have been approached by Chinese Intelligence give your influential position and presumably vestigial loyalty to your ancestral home? Would be good material for an article
Yes, a thought I’ve had time & time again when travelling. There’s definitely more to it than the popularisation of the newspaper and people’s changing sense of time, à la Benedict Anderson, and I say this as a Benedict Anderson fan. Read quite a good China-specific book on invented nationalism by Prasenjit Duara, can’t remember the title, and bought another one by Suisheng Zhao but haven’t read it yet. Pretty depressing to see the amount of tribalism people have unleashed both in Istanbul and in London (walked through the centre last Saturday, just by chance)
Yeah I definitely feel this way with the wider environment in the UK at the moment. Identity very front of mind!