More than a Bundle Story: An Interview with Emel Sevinç

Saturday 7 June 2025, 3.00pm to 3.30pm GMT

In this conversation recorded during the 34th BATAS Spring Symposium in collaboration with Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE (June 7, 2025), Elif Toker-Turnalar speaks with Emel Sevinç, a London-based writer, project curator, and practitioner, about her compelling project and display "More than a Bundle Story."

Venue: In-person public event (MAR.1.04, Marshall Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and British Association for Turkish Area Studies (BATAS)

Find out more

You can either download the podcast or watch the video of this event online. 

Turkish Politics and Society in Flux: Identity, Policy, and Transnational Dynamics

Saturday 7 June 2025, 10.00am to 5.00pm GMT

The 34th BATAS Spring Symposium, held in collaboration with Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE, brings together scholars and experts to explore Turkish politics, society, and culture in a time of transformation.

Venue: In-person public event (MAR.1.04, Marshall Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and British Association for Turkish Area Studies (BATAS)

Find out more

Inflation and Institutions: Türkiye, the United States, and the Politics of Price Stability

Thursday 5 June 2025, 6.00 to 7.30pm GMT

This lecture compares recent inflation dynamics in Türkiye and the United States to explore how political pressures and institutional credibility shape inflation expectations and policy effectiveness.

Speaker: Selva Demiralp, Professor of Economics at Koç University, Director of the Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum, and a Founding Partner at Ethos Economics Consulting. 

Discussant: Orkun Saka, Visiting Senior Fellow, European Institute, LSE and an Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Economics at the City, University of London.

Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair in Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE

Venue: In-person public event (MAR.2.10, Marshall Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies

Find out more

You can either download the podcast or watch the video of this event online. 

Youth in the Digital Age: Global Trends with a Focus on Türkiye

Friday 29 November 2024, 6.00 to 7.00pm GMT

Speaker: Selçuk R. Şirin, Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University

Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair in Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE

Venue: In-person public event (Old Theatre, Old Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies

Find out more

You can either download the podcast or watch the video of this event online. 

Navigating the Nexus of Intelligent Media, Politics, and Academia: The Case of Türkiye in a Global Perspective

Friday 29 November 2024, 10.30am to 5.00pm GMT

In this workshop, as we explore the interaction between political populism, media and academia in Türkiye, we also aim to discuss the potential political future that AI technology holds in store for us. 

Venue: In-person and online workshop (MAR.2.09, Marshall Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies

Find out more

Access the full report here: Workshop Report.

The Political Feasibility of the Adoption of the UNDP’s “Türkiye Compact” by the EU, the UK, and Switzerland

Thursday 31 October 2024, 6.00 to 7.30pm GMT

Speakers and Project Researchers: Kemal Kirişci, Non-resident Senior Fellow, Center on the United States and Europe, Brookings Institution; Friedrich Püttmann, PhD Candidate, European Institute, LSE.

Discussants: Virginie Guiraudon, Sciences Po Center for European and Comparative Studies in Paris; John Alty, Visiting Professor in Practice, European Institute, LSE. 

Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair in Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE

Venue: In-person public event (LSE Lecture Theatre, Centre Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute

Find out more

You can download the podcast or read a brief of this event.

Shifting Dynamics in the Middle East: Türkiye’s Repositioning in the Region

Tuesday 8 October 2024, 6.00 to 7.30pm BST

Speakers: Dimitar Bechev, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe and the Director of the Dahrendorf Programme on Europe in a Changing World at St Antony's College, Oxford; Sir John Jenkins, Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange and Consultant at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics; Ziya Meral, Lecturer in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS; Selin Nasi, Visiting Fellow at the European Institute, LSE

Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair in Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE

Venue: In-person public event (Thai Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building, LSE) 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA)

Find out more

You can download the podcast of this event, watch the video online or read the summary transcript of the event.

Global middle powers and the changing world order | LSE Festival

Wednesday 12 June 2024 6.30pm to 7.30pm

With recent elections in Turkey, and forthcoming voting in South Africa and the Western world (the UK, EU and the US), this panel will delve into the aspirations and perspectives of global middle powers, and will analyse the impact of their rise on the global order. 

Speakers:

Chris Alden, Professor of International Relations and Director of LSE IDEAS; Yolanda Kemp Spies, Director of the Diplomatic Studies Programme at Oxford University, served as a South African diplomat for 18 years before she joined academia in 2005; Buğra Süsler, Lecturer in the UCL Department of Political Science and the Head of Turkey and the World Programme at LSE IDEAS.

Chair:

Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE. 

Hosted by LSE Festival: Power and Politics

Venue: Online and in-person (WolfsonTheatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building, LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast of the event.

The Hidden Risks of Industrial Policy: When More Isn't Always Better

Friday 07 June 2024, 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm

The US economy used to spend 2% of its GDP on R&D in the 1980s; now, that figure stands at 3.5%. The fraction of the workforce identified as “inventors” has more than doubled since 2000. However, rather than experiencing acceleration, the economy has faced a productivity slowdown in return. Despite proactive policies directing additional resources toward fostering faster growth, where does the economy fall short? This lecture will argue that it’s not solely about the quantity of resources allocated for industrial policy, but also about the “who” behind their utilization.

Speaker:

Ufuk Akçiğit, the Arnold C. Harberger Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago; Research Professor and Head of the Research Group: The Economic Gap between East and West Germany at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH); Co-Director of Graduate Placement at the University of Chicago; Research Associate at NBER and Research Affiliate at CEPR.

Hosted by the European Institute, Contemporary Turkish Studies, School of Public Policy and Systemic Risk Centre at LSE.

Venue: Online

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast of the event.

5th LSE Workshop on Political Economy of Turkey

Friday 07 June 2024, 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

The workshop will feature a number of selected presentations/discussions and culminate in a public keynote lecture. The event will provide a platform for researchers and policymakers to discuss new research and to identify areas where further academic and policy-oriented work is needed.

Hosted by the European Institute, Contemporary Turkish Studies, School of Public Policy and Systemic Risk Centre at LSE.

Venue: Online and in-person (CBG.1.01, Sumeet Valrani Lecture Theatre, Centre Building, LSE)

Find out more.

The Civil War in Syria:
Prospects for Peace and the Role of External Actors 

Thursday 07 March 2024, 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

This panel aims to discuss possibilities for settlement in Syria and reappraise the role of regional and global powers, including Türkiye.  

Speakers:

Rim Turkmani, Senior Policy Fellow at LSE Middle East Centre and LSE IDEAS; Soli Özel, Senior Lecturer at Istanbul Kadir Has University and member of the European Council on Foreign Relations; Selin Nasi, Visiting Fellow at the European Institute, LSE and London Representative of the Ankara Policy Center. 

Chair: 

Michael Mason, Director of the Middle East Centre, Professor of Environmental Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment, and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at LSE.

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and Middle East Centre

Venue: In-person and online public event (Yangtze Lecture Theatre (CBG.2.01), Centre Building, LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video, listen to the podcast or read the summary transcript of the event.

NATO Enlargement and Türkiye’s Partnership with the West 

Wednesday 24 January 2024, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Bringing together experts and practitioners, this panel examines Türkiye’s past and future role within NATO in light of the organisation’s 75th anniversary, its recent enlargement and current challenges. 

Speakers:

Sinem Akgül Açıkmeşe, Professor of International Relations and Jean Monnet Chair holder on Hybrid Threats in the EU at Kadir Has University; Lisel Hintz, Assistant Professor of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS; and Tacan İldem, Retired diplomat and former NATO Assistant Secretary-General, Turkish Ambassador to the Netherlands, and Chairman of the independent think tank EDAM.

Chair: 

Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE.

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the LSE IDEAS

Venue: Online Public Event

Find out more.

Watch the video, listen to the podcast or read the summary transcript of the event.

Turkish Politics and Foreign Policy: A Centennial Reflection

Friday 17 November 2023, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

29 October 2023 marks the centenary of the proclamation of the Republic in Turkey.  In this year’s BATAS John Martin Lecture, Professor Şule Kut will take a tour d’horizon of Turkish politics and foreign policy over time and across the major issues with a particular view for continuity and change. 

Speaker:

Şule Kut, Professor of Turkish Foreign Policy and the Balkans; Member of the Advisory Board of the Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE; Board member of the Turkish Social, Economic and Political Research Foundation (TÜSES); Founding member of the History Foundation in Turkey; Member of Global Relations Forum based in Istanbul.

Chair: 

Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE.

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and The British Association for Turkish Area Studies (BATAS)

Venue: In-Person Public Event (Alumni Theatre, Cheng Kin Ku Building) 

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast of the event.

With or without the IMF? The ups and downs of the Turkish political economy since 2000

Wednesday 4 October 2023, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm 

This panel will reflect on the Turkish political economy since the Kemal Derviş era in the early 2000s. It will address questions related to the legacies of previous reforms, the contributions of Kemal Derviş to public policy, and the future of the Turkish economy. The panel will also assess the impact of the IMF, international loans and transnational links in relation to economic stability and crisis. 

Speakers: 

G. Kemal Ozhan, Senior Economist at the Bank of Canada and Research Economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Selva Demiralp, Professor of Economics at Koç University, Director of the Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum and founding partner at Ethos Economics Consulting.

Sinan Ülgen, Director and founding chairman of the think tank Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Senior fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels and Managing Partner of the consultancy Istanbul Economics.

Chair: 

Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE.

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute

Venue: Zoom Webinar

Find out more.

Watch the video, listen to the podcast or read the summary transcript of the event.

After the Earthquakes: Turkish Elections, Politics and Foreign Policy in 2023

Thursday 8 June 2023, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

This event will explore the consequences of the 6 February 2023 earthquakes for Turkish society, politics and foreign policy. The 7.6–7.8 magnitude earthquakes that impacted the southern regions in Turkey were inhabited by more than 15 million people.

Speakers: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE. 

Buğra Süsler, Lecturer in the UCL Department of Political Science and Visiting Fellow at LSE IDEAS.

Özge Zihnioğlu, Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool. 

Chair: Chris Alden, Professor of International Relations and Director of LSE IDEAS. 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and LSE IDEAS

Venue: Online and in-person (MAR1.08, The Marshall Building, LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video, listen to the podcast or read the summary transcript of the event.

Turkey’s Economic Problems and Solutions: A small open economy approach

Friday 02 June 2023, 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm 

Turkey’s economic problems are all rooted in International economics 101. All standard textbook problems with easy and straightforward solutions known by many emerging countries and applied successfully since early 2000s. Why then these problems persist in Turkey? 

Speaker: Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan, Neil Moskowitz Endowed Professor of Economics at University of Maryland, College Park.  

Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE.

Hosted by the European Institute, Systemic Risk Centre and Contemporary Turkish Studies 

Venue: Online

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

4th LSE Workshop on Political Economy of Turkey

Friday 02 June 2023, 9.00 am to 5.05 pm 

The event will provide a platform for researchers and policymakers to discuss new research and to identify areas where further academic and policy-oriented work is needed. There will be a dedicated discussant for each paper, as well as open floor discussion. 

Hosted by the European Institute, Systemic Risk Centre and Contemporary Turkish Studies 

Venue: Online and in-Person (Vera Anstey Room, Old Building)

Find out more.

Lara Melda

Friday 10 March 2023, 6.30pm to 7.30pm GMT

Lara Melda won the BBC Young Musician 2010 competition, performing Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in the final round with Vasily Petrenko and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Cardiff.

The concert programme will include:
Sonata No.17 in D minor ‘The Tempest’, Op. 31 No. 2 
Largo: Allegro  
Adagio 
Allegretto 
BEETHOVEN
Étude in D flat major, S. 144 No. 3 ‘Un Sospiro’ 
LISZT  
Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 
Allegro maestoso 
Scherzo, Molto vivace 
Largo 
Finale. Presto, non tanto 
CHOPIN

Venue: Shaw Library, Sixth Floor, Old Building, LSE

Find out more.

Photography Exhibition

Thursday 09 March 2023 6.30pm to 9.00pm GMT

This photo exhibition celebrates the achievements of young female scientists, musicians, artists and athletes from every corner of Anatolia, Türkiye. 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and Aydın Doğan Foundation

Venue: Lower ground floor, New Academic Building, LSE

Find out more.

Celebrating Women in Science and Technology

Thursday 09 March 2023 6.30pm to 8.00pm GMT

This forum will present the achievements of prominent female researchers from Turkey and how they have contributed to science and technology in the UK.

Participants: Melis Duyar, Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Surrey; Özge Eyice, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Microbial Ecology at the Queen Mary University of London; Zeynep Kalender Atak, Senior Scientist in Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca; Zeynep Okray, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, at the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University of Oxford; Pınar Özcan, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Said Business School, University of Oxford, and the Director of the Oxford Future of Finance and Technology (Fintech) Initiative; Emine Yılmaz, Professor, a Turing and an ELLIS Fellow at University College London, Department of Computer Science, where she leads the Web Intelligence Group.
Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE.

Hosted by the Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute.

Venue: Online and in-Person (Thai Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

100 years of the Republic of Türkiye: Changing Ideas of Modernity

Wednesday 08 March 2023, 6.30pm to 8.00pm GMT

This event will appraise 100 years of the Turkish Republic, taking stock of changing ideas of modernity, progress and Westernisation.

Speakers: Faruk Birtek, Emeritus Professor, Boğaziçi University; Şuhnaz Yılmaz, Professor, Koç University; Laurent Mignon, Professor, University of Oxford; Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair, LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies

Chair: Jonathan Hopkin, Professor of Comparative Politics in the Department of Government at LSE

Hosted by the Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute.

Venue: Online and in-Person (Auditorium, Centre Building LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

Cities in the Aftermath of the Earthquakes: Experiences, Needs and Possible Futures in Turkey 

Wednesday 08 March 2023 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm (GMT)

As part of the Turkish Week at LSE, this event will discuss the impact of the 7.6–7.8 magnitude earthquakes in February on cities in Turkey. Speakers, who have witnessed the devastation first hand, will share their observations, with a focus on the immediate needs of the victims. The panel will also explore how cities can be rebuilt through solidarity between multi-ethnic and diverse communities, other cities, local governments, non-governmental organisations and international aid.  The aim of the panel is to raise awareness about the continued needs of the local communities with practical recommendations on what can be done, based on lived experiences and other global incidents of urban destruction.

Speakers:

Mehmet Nuri Gültekin is Professor of Sociology at Gaziantep University. 

Mehmet Karlı is a research fellow at the European Studies Centre of the University of Oxford.

Nilüfer Numanoğlu Atalay (LSE'01)is a co-founder and trustee of Turkey Mozaik Foundation (TMF). 

Richard Sennett is Professor of Sociology at LSE, and University Professor of the Humanities at New York University. 

Chair:

Yaprak Gürsoy is Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE. 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute

Venue: Zoom Webinar

Find out more.

Watch the video, listen to the podcast or or read the summary transcript of the event.

Turkey and the West: Mutually Suspicious Perceptions in Film and Television

Tuesday 07 March 2023 6.30pm to 8.00pm GMT

This talk will look at the discourse of Orientalism and Occidentalism in Turkish and Hollywood cinemas and how they feed upon and reflect each other.

Speaker: Murat Akser is Lecturer in Screen Production in the School of Communication and Media, Ulster University. 

Chair: Federica Bicchi is Associate Professor of International Relations at LSE.

Venue: Online and in-Person (MAR.2.08, The Marshall Building, LSE)

Find out more.

Watch the video or listen to the podcast.

A summary of this event is available to read here.

Nativist and Islamist Radicalism in Europe: Anger and Anxiety

Tuesday 07 March 2023 12.45pm to 2.00pm GMT

This talk aims to challenge the scholarship that has so far studied European youth in ethno-culturally, and religio-politically divided separate clusters, such as “migrant-origin” and “native” youths.

Speakers: Ayhan Kaya, Professor of Politics and Jean Monnet Chair of European Politics of Interculturalism at the Department of International Relations, Istanbul Bilgi University; Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence; and a member of the Science Academy; Katerina Dalacoura, Associate Professor in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Venue: Online and in-Person (PAR.LG.03, Parish Hall, LSE)

Find out more.

Inclusive Higher Education in the Age of Transnationalism

Monday 06 March 2023 10.00am to 05.45pm GMT
Tuesday 07 March 2023 10.30am to 12:15pm GMT

This two-day workshop will concentrate on the issue of inclusive higher education with a particular focus on transnational students, including refugees.

Speakers: 

Akile Ahmet, Dr, Head of Inclusive Education, Eden Centre for Educational Enhancement and International Inequalities Institute, LSE; Muhammad Al Mahameed, Assistant Professor, Department of Operations Management, Copenhagen Business School; Kenan Çayır, Professor, Department of Sociology, Istanbul Bilgi University; Begüm Dereli, Dr, Project Officer, The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE); Nick Gill, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Exeter; Mehmet Nuri Gültekin, Professor, Department of Sociology, Gaziantep University; Jennifer Jackson-Preece, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, European Institute, LSE; Omar Kadkoy, Project Manager, The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV); Ayhan Kaya, Professor, Department of International Relations and Director of the European Institute (Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence), Istanbul Bilgi University; Gencer Özcan, Professor, Department of International Relations, Istanbul Bilgi University; Friedrich Püttmann, PhD Candidate, European Institute, LSE; Tolga Sınmazdemir, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Studies, SOAS University of London; Mehmet Ali Tuğtan, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Istanbul Bilgi University; Aslı Tunç, Professor, Department of Media and Communication and Vice-Rector, Istanbul Bilgi University 

Chairs: Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies, LSE European Institute; Özge Onursal Beşgül, Assistant Professor and Vice-Director of the European Institute, İstanbul Bilgi University

Co-organised by the European Institute of Istanbul Bilgi University.

Venue: Online and in-Person (Vera Anstey Room, Old Building, LSE) 

Find out more.

Archaeology and Soft Power: Cultural Diplomacy between Türkiye and the UK

Tuesday 18 October 2022, 6:00pm to 7:30pm 

Join us for this event, co-organised with the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA), that will explore linkages between archaeology, soft power and international relations.

Speakers: Professor Stephen Mitchell, Emeritus Professor of classics and ancient history, University of Exeter; Sir David Logan, British Ambassador to Turkey from 1997-2001; Professor Tuna Şare Ağtürk, Marie Curie Research Fellow, Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford and Associate Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. 

Chair: Professor Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies, LSE European Institute. 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute.

Venue: Online and In-Person

The in-person event will be followed by a reception.

Find out more

Listen to the podast, watch the video, or read the summary transcript of the event.

70 Years in NATO: Turkey's partnership with the western alliance since 1952

Wednesday 8 June 2022, 5:30pm to 7pm 

Speakers: Professor Oya Dursun-Özkanca, Endowed Chair of International Studies and Professor of Political Science at Elizabethtown College, USA; Colonel Rich Outzen, Geopolitical Consultant and Retired Colonel who served in the US State Department’s Policy Planning Staff;  Professor Gencer Özcan, Professor of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University.

Chair: Professor Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the LSE European Institute. 

Hosted by Contemporary Turkish Studies and the European Institute.

Venue: Online

Find out more

Read the summary transcript of the event, watch the video, or listen to the podcast.

UK-Turkey Trade Partnership Post-Brexit: Limits and Prospects

Wednesday 9 February 2022, 3.30 to 5pm 

Speakers: Dr Pınar Artıran, Assistant Professor, WTO Chair Holder and the Director of the Research Center on International Trade and Arbitration Law at Istanbul Bilgi University; Christopher Gaunt OBE, Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce Turkey; Lord Robin Janvrin, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Turkey from 2015-2021; Dr Mustafa Kutlay, Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Politics at City, University of London.

Chair: Professor Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the LSE European Institute.

Hosted by the LSE European Institute and LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies.

Find out more

Read the summary transcript of the event, watch the video, or listen to the podcast.