Contemporary Turkish Studies

22/05/2026

🎤 “Coalitions of the willing in action: the role of non-EU NATO members in Europe’s security and defence”

Last week at LSE, experts and students came together to discuss how Europe is rethinking security, defence cooperation, and strategic partnerships in a rapidly changing world.

An insightful and timely conversation with İlke Toygür, Pernille Rieker, and Aaron McKeil, chaired by Professor Yaprak Gürsoy.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person at the Marshall Building.

📺 Full recording available online.
🎧 Podcast available on Spotify.

24/04/2026

Post-doctoral Fellowship in European Politics
LSE is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive university

European Institute

Post-doctoral Research Officer in European Politics

Salary from £43,277 to £51,714 pa (pro rata) inclusive with potential to progress to £55,497 pa (pro rata) inclusive of London allowance

This is a fixed term appointment for 12 months (1 September 2026 – 31 August 2027)
and is part time at 0.5FTE. Extension is subject to funding.

The European Institute at LSE is an internationally-recognised centre of excellence for research and teaching on contemporary Europe in a global context. This post is based jointly within the European Institute and the Contemporary Turkish Studies research group, contributing to the project “Emotions, Polarization, and Civilizational Narratives in European Politics and Foreign Policy: A Comparative Approach.”

You will support the lead researcher in carrying out independent and collaborative research, contributing to the preparation of academic articles and working papers. You will also play an active role in the organisation of public events and research workshops.

Candidates should have a completed or nearly completed PhD in International Relations, Foreign Policy, Comparative Politics, Political History, or a related discipline; an expertise and experience of research in the fields of collective emotions, the politics of the past, affective polarization, or cultural approaches to international relations; and demonstrable methodological competence, whether in quantitative or qualitative approaches. Candidates should provide one writing sample with their application, either a relevant published article/book chapter, or a dissertation chapter/working paper.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities.

For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification.

To apply for this post, please go to www.jobs.lse.ac.uk. If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Institute Manager Carl-Ludwig Campbell at [email protected].

The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 24 May 2026 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

https://jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/2198/0/467559/15539/post-doctoral-fellowship-in-european-politics

Salary from £43,277 to £51,714 pa (pro rata) inclusive with potential to progress to £55,497 pa (pro rata) inclusive of London allowance

27/03/2026

Coalitions of the willing in action: the role of non-EU NATO members in Europe’s security and defence
As Europe’s security environment rapidly changes, how can cooperation go beyond traditional structures?
This public panel brings together leading experts to explore the role of non-EU NATO members - including the UK, Türkiye, Norway, and Canada - and how they can contribute to a more flexible and resilient European security framework.

📅 Thursday, 14 May 2026
🕕 6:00 – 7:30 PM
📍 Marshall Building (MAR.1.10), LSE

Key questions include:
• Does the EU need non-EU NATO partners for a strong security system?
• How can partnerships move beyond “statements of intent”?
• Can shared challenges bring countries closer despite differences?

🎤 Speakers: Ian Bond, Aaron McKeil, Pernille Rieker, İlke Toygür
🪑 Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy
Hosted with the LSE European Institute

🍷 Reception after the event
All are welcome - join the conversation!

27/02/2026

Hydraulic mission accomplished? Water infrastructure, policy and scarcity in Türkiye 💧

How have dams, irrigation systems, and urban water networks shaped state power, development ambitions, and environmental outcomes in Türkiye? And under conditions of climate uncertainty and increasing scarcity, what futures are possible?

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), this in-person and online public panel convened Arda Bilgen and Jim Crow, chaired by Yaprak Gürsoy, for a wide-ranging and historically grounded conversation.

🔹 The discussion examined:
• The legacy of Türkiye’s national “hydraulic mission”
• Water policy intersections with agriculture, energy, and urbanisation
• Transboundary water politics
• Climate change, ecological degradation, and uneven access
• Pathways toward more sustainable and equitable water futures

By revisiting historical trajectories, the panel highlighted how past infrastructural and governance decisions continue to shape present-day challenges - inviting critical reflection well beyond the Turkish case.

📺 Watch the full video:
https://ow.ly/TwUi50YmR1w
🎙 Listen to the podcast:
https://ow.ly/LCKo50YmR1x

03/02/2026

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS

🎓 6th LSE–Cambridge Workshop on the Political Economy of Türkiye
📍 University of Cambridge, UK
📅 9–10 July 2026
⏰ Submission deadline: 1 March 2026

The European Institute and Contemporary Turkish Studies at London School of Economics and Political Science and the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge are pleased to invite paper submissions for the 6th LSE–Cambridge Workshop on the Political Economy of Türkiye.

🎤 Keynote speaker: Melani Cammett (Harvard University)
🏆 One invited paper will receive the Atakan Yalçın Best Paper Award

We welcome theoretical and empirical papers on topics including (but not limited to):
• Elections, democracy, political crises, nationalism
• Inflation, exchange rates, banking, systemic risks
• Political connections, trade, firms, urban & regional inequality
• Immigration and demographic transition
• Education, family & health policies, public economics

✨ What we offer
• Dedicated discussants for each paper
• No registration fee
• Free accommodation & high-table dinner at Fitzwilliam College for invited speakers
• Limited travel grants available

📩 Full papers (preliminary versions accepted) should be submitted via the workshop website.
📬 Acceptance notifications: 31 March 2026

More information: https://www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary-turkish-studies/upcoming-events/6th-lse-cambridge-workshop

📷 Image credit: Osman Hamdi Bey, The Tortoise Trainer (1906)

12/01/2026

Hydraulic mission accomplished?
Water infrastructure, policy and scarcity in Türkiye

Join Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE and the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) for a public panel exploring how water infrastructure and policy have shaped Türkiye’s past - and what they mean for its future.
This conversation brings together two scholars to reflect on the contested idea of a national “hydraulic mission”, examining major dams, irrigation schemes, and urban water systems alongside today’s challenges of water scarcity, climate change, and uneven access.

📅 Tuesday 10 February 2026
🕡 6.30–7.30pm
📍 MAR.2.06, Marshall Building, LSE
🌐 In-person & online

Speakers:
• Arda Bilgen (LSE)
• Jim Crow (University of Edinburgh)
Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy (LSE)

Attendees are warmly invited to attend the event reception, which will follow the event.

04/12/2025

🌍 What’s really changing in Türkiye - and what’s staying the same?
Join us for a timely conversation:
Türkiye in 2025: structural continuities beneath apparent transformation
📅 Thursday 11 December 2025
⏰ 6:00–7:30pm (Online)
🎓 Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies, LSE
2025 has been a big year for Türkiye - from shifting US relations and regional turbulence to new institutional initiatives and nationwide political mobilisation. But beneath the headlines, what are the deeper historical and economic patterns?
In this dynamic panel, we’ll unpack:
✨ Türkiye’s changing global posture
✨ The evolving Kurdish question
✨ Political mobilisation after İmamoğlu’s arrest
✨ Economic pressures and institutional resilience
✨ What all of this means for Türkiye’s future
Meet our speakers: Pelin Ayan Musil (CEVRO University & Anglo-American University); Esra Çuhadar (Bilkent University & Ottawa Dialogue); Işık Özel (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Buğra Süsler (University College London & LSE)
Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy (LSE)
Curious about the forces shaping Türkiye today - and tomorrow?
🔗 Register now and join the discussion!
https://lse.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SuKgL3XASGKe3X9YFWnIug
More information: https://www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary-turkish-studies/upcoming-events/turkiye-in-2025

27/11/2025

Alternative forms of political participation: youth, co-production and participatory art
On 12 November 2025, Contemporary Turkish Studies hosted an in-person event exploring how marginalised youth build alternative forms of political participation across Türkiye, South Africa, and Uganda through participatory art, co-production, and inclusive deliberation.
🎨 The AHRC-funded Photovoice Project brought together 38 young people (18–25) from diverse backgrounds. Through photography, participatory action research, and youth-curated exhibitions, the project enabled new ways of expressing political agency, confronting epistemic injustice, and creating shared narratives between refugee and host communities.
Speakers:
• Dr Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm
• Dr Melis Cin
• Dr Manu Lekunze
(With presentations on behalf of Craig Walker)
Chaired by Prof Yaprak Gürsoy
The panel discussed youth political participation, barriers to engagement, and how art creates alternative civic spaces "third spaces" for young people whose voices are often excluded from formal politics.
🎧 Missed the event? Watch or listen here:
▶️ YouTube: https://ow.ly/3zEl50Xyw1T
🎙️ Spotify: https://ow.ly/4oQW50Xyw1S

10/11/2025

Alternative forms of political participation: youth, co-production and participatory art

🗓 Wednesday 12 November 2025 | 6–7.30 pm | Thai Theatre, CKK (In-person)

Around the world, marginalised youth, including refugees and displaced communities, are redefining politics through creativity.

From Istanbul to Johannesburg to Oruchinga, this event explores how participatory art and co-produced exhibitions create inclusive spaces for dialogue, peacebuilding and political life.

🎤 Speakers: Melis Cin, Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm, Craig Walker
💬 Discussant: Manu Lekunze
🎙 Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies, LSE

https://www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary-turkish-studies/upcoming-events/alternative-forms-of-political-participation