Democratic Backsliding and Anti-Gender Politics in Turkey: What to Expect After the 2023 Elections?

Didem Unal, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, writes about the anti-gender and anti-LGBTI+ rhetoric in the 2023 election campaign in Turkey and the possible implications for the country's immediate future.

Didem Unal • July 18, 2023

The Golden Age and the Contemporary Crisis in the Muslim World

The main cause of the current crisis in many Muslim-majority countries is the ulama–state alliance rather than Islam or Western colonization, argues Ahmet T. Kuru in his recent book. A Dutch translation appeared in May 2023

Ahmet T. Kuru • May 02, 2023

Early Modern State Development in Yemen

The Zaydi imamate in Yemen was one of the longest surviving states in Muslim history. How did Zaydi imams maintain control over a region that appears impossible to rule? A Marie Skłodowska-Curie project studies the strategies and legacies of this polity.

Ekaterina (Kate) Pukhovaia • February 03, 2023

Is the Waqf Islamic?

What do waqfs or charitable endowments tell us about forms of religiosity in society today? Nada Moumtaz provides answers, based on her recent book, God’s Property: Islam, Charity, and the Modern State

Nada Moumtaz • June 01, 2022

Understanding Mass Violence in the Middle East

Laura Robson explains how mass violence came to be a constitutive element of the state and of political authority in the Middle East.

Laura Robson • April 01, 2022

The Mantle of Roger II and the Fatimid Festival of Sacrifice

During the Festival of Sacrifice, Fatimid rulers publicly sacrificed a camel. Maribel Fierro discusses the political and religious significance of this ritual, and traces later versions under other dynasties. She argues a visual re-imagination even appears on the mantle of the Norman king of Sicily.

Maribel Fierro • December 09, 2021

Creating a Suitable Past: From the Turkish History Thesis to Ertuğrul

Erdoğan's frequent references to the past fit within an ongoing tradition in Turkish politics. Uğur Derin shows how history has been politicised in Turkey since the emergence of the Republic, focusing on Erdoğan's usage of a civilisational discourse that glorifies an Islamic and Ottoman past.

Uğur Derin • April 29, 2021

The Boğaziçi Protests: Lost in Translation, Found in Solidarity

In January 2021, President Erdoğan controversially appointed Melih Bulu as the new rector of the prestigious Boğaziçi University, inciting protests from both students and academics. Faculty member Olcay Akyıldız provides an insider’s perspective on the protests and their impact.

Olcay Akyıldız • March 18, 2021

When Central Banks Break Up

Central banks are supreme national economic institutions. What happens when, during a war, they become part of the power struggle? Heba Taha looks at the case of Yemen, which since 2016 has had two competing central banks, resulting in rivalling banknotes and currencies with different values.

Heba Taha • March 04, 2021

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