History of Modern Turkey

This course focuses on the Ottoman Empire, its transformation, collapse, and the emergence of the Republic of Turkey. In the first half of the class, we will discuss the multi-ethnic and multi-religious character of the Ottoman world, spread over three continents, as well as several themes such statecraft, public life, art and architecture, music, family, and sexuality. Then we will discuss how this imperial order collapsed because of complex global and regional developments. In the second half we will focus on emergence and transformation of Modern Turkey in the 20th century and visit themes such as secularism and Islam, Turkey's relations with Europe, the USA, NATO and the Middle East, ideological movements such as nationalism, liberalism and socialism, as well as the recent crisis of Turkish democracy.