#TurkeyCoup attempt aftermath roundup: Turkey’s intelligence agency under fire AS PM Yıldırım says they Learned of Coup Attempt from Kith and Kin…

Yıldırım: We Learned of Coup Attempt from Kith and Kin Bianet :: English Prime Minister Yıldırım has said, “We learned of the [coup] attempt after 15 minutes. Who did we learn it from? We learned of it from our close guards and citizens. We learned of it from kith and kin”. Turkey’s intel chief under fire for … Read more

An interview with Ferhat Kentel: Postmodernity and the Arc of Turkish Identity

Postmodernity and the Arc of Turkish Identity

from Turkish Politics in Action by Ragan Updegraff

Ferhat Kentel, Professor at Istanbul Sehir University / PHOTO from the Balkans Project

The Balkans Project recently featured a fascinating interview with Ferhat Kentel, a sociologist at Istanbul Sehir University. Working on the construction of Turkish national identity, Kentel is examining one of the most controversial and heuristic themes in Turkish politics — in many ways, a theme that defines, and most certainly pervades, every aspect of political discourse, be it Turkey’s efforts to come to terms with its minorities (Muslim and non-Muslim), its attempts to reconcile Islam and the Turkish naton-state, its ongoing EU accession process, its confrontration with ultra-nationalist elements like Ergenekon, its international relations, etc. I have provided excerpts in this post, though I most definitely recommend reading though the whole interview.

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Two Videos on Coups in Turkey

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3754193466185760812&ei=W863Sr-3HKHQ2wKI7NSGAg&q=darbe+coup# A one and an half hour documentary on Coups in Turkey in general. By Elif Savaş. and a short movie on 1980 Turkish coup d’état [it has subtitles in English]