In a couple of weeks I’m off to a conference and weekend break in Istanbul, a city I’ve never visited before. My excitement is tinged with a bit of nervousness now, looking at the news. (Does anybody know what exactly you do with the milk and lemons that are said to counter the effects of tear gas? Ingest them? Smear them on your face?)
Orhan Pamuk has been one of my favourite writers since I started on [amazon_link id=”0571268838″ target=”_blank” ]My Name is Red[/amazon_link], when it first came out in English, and his book [amazon_link id=”0571218334″ target=”_blank” ]Istanbul[/amazon_link] is terrific. I’ve just bought a selection of essays and extracts, [amazon_link id=”0955970091″ target=”_blank” ]City-Pick Istanbul[/amazon_link] edited by Heather Reyes. Recommendations for others – and for primers on modern Turkish politics – gratefully received.
[amazon_image id=”0571218334″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Istanbul: Memories of a City[/amazon_image]
[amazon_image id=”0955970091″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]City-pick Istanbul (City-Pick Series)[/amazon_image]
Hi,
I found a working paper by Timur Kuran (The Long Divergence). It’s not on modern turkish politics, but here it is :
Institutional Roots of Authoritarian Rule in the Middle East: Political Legacies of the Islamic Waqf
http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/Intellectual_Life/LTW-Kuran.pdf
Istanbul is a beautiful city and amazing just by walking around.
The NYTimes published an article, Europe in 9 Walks, maybe you can try the on in Istanbul
http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/travel/europe-in-9-walks.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Ayoub
Thanks for these!
I really enjoyed Timur Kuran’s book – I think it was you who recommended it to me?
Yes, I did.
I think it’s a great read on the Middle East and very different from some cultural views on the region.
Of course, I am glad I recommended a book that you liked.
Off topic: Did you read Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre ? I think it’s very good.
Not got a book to recommend, but very moving short statement from a colleague here: http://bit.ly/13xhBQ0
You might take a look at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/06/01/here_s_what_you_need_to_know_about_the_clashes_in_turkey?wp_login_redirect=0
Thank you for this!
On Turkey: This is worth a look.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/opinion/development-wont-ensure-democracy-in-turkey.html?hp&_r=1&pagewanted=all&http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/opinion/development-wont-ensure-democracy-in-turkey.html?hp&_r=1&pagewanted=all&
That’s very interesting. I thought this article about social media use was, too:
http://dmlcentral.net/blog/zeynep-tufekci/networked-politics-tahrir-taksim-there-social-media-fueled-protest-style