A new academic blog on Turkey

Dear scholar,
We have established a new research group, namely ‘Changing Turkey in a Changing World’ affiliated with the Centre for Global and Transnational Politics led by Prof. Chris Rumford and Prof. Sandra Halperin. (Please, see the announcement at: http://cgtp.rhul.ac.uk/changing-turkey-in-a-changing/ )

This group starts by setting up a new blog. The blog address is:
http://changingturkey.wordpress.com

We are looking for valuable contributions from researchers on Turkish society and politics. Could you help us to disseminate this information? Thank you very much for your interest and valuable collaboration….

Here are two posts from the blog:

INTERVIEW WITH DR. AHMET KURU ABOUT SECULARISM

Ahmet T. Kuru is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University. He was Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration, and Religion at SIPA of Columbia University. His dissertation received the American Political Science Association?s Religion and Politics Section?s best dissertation award. Its revised version was published by Cambridge University Press with the title Secularism and State Policies toward Religion: The United States, France, and Turkey. Kuru is also the author of articles published in journals including World Politics, Comparative Politics, and Political Science Quarterly.

Big Idea? Competition

Enter the Changing Turkey ?Big Idea? Competition!
All you need to do is answer the question below in maximum 500 words.

Question: Where do you locate Turkish society in the civilizational context? Is it eastern? Islamic? Western? Post-western? sui generis? Please explain why.

Please send your ?big idea? to: changingturkey@gmail.com

Deadline: 1st of December, 2009

The prize is here.

A Dutch tourist rests before a Turkish bath at the historical Galatasaray hamam in Istanbul September 16, 2009. Old Istanbul’s bath houses once hosted scheming Pashas and shapely concubines before modern cleansing rituals sent them into decline, but their appeal to tourists and the growth of the spa industry promises a revival.

To match feature TURKEY-HAMMAMS/ REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Customers rest before a Turkish bath at the historical Galatasaray hamam in Istanbul September 16, 2009. Old Istanbul’s bath houses once hosted scheming Pashas and shapely concubines before modern cleansing rituals sent them into decline, but their appeal to tourists and the growth of the spa industry promises a revival.