Atatürk to Erdogan: Modern Turkey, 1923-2023

Spanning Europe and Asia, the Turkish Republic has long been regarded as a global lynchpin state due to its geography. But no less important has been its role as a bellwether of modernity. Founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923 out of the wreckage of the Ottoman empire, the Turkish Republic with its secular and nationalist ideology championed the universality of Western modernity through the 20th century. But in the 21st century, the Turkey of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to chart a different course. Topics covered include ethno-nationalism, modernity, Islam and Islamism, gender, language and identity, and the Kurdish Question.