BU Lecture in Istanbul: Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks

How have Turkish national identity and the meanings of Islam and secularism changed in today's Turkey? Is the Turkish model a success story or a cautionary tale? Join Dr. Jenny White, professor of anthropology at Boston University, for a lecture on Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks. 23 May, 2013 Register Now! http://bit.ly/buturkey USD 20/ TL 35 includes reception 7:30 p.m. Registration and Refreshments 8:00 p.m. Lecture with BU Alumni and students from Robert College 9:30 p.m. Q+A 10:00 p.m. Reception Robert College Library Kurucesme Cad. No: 87 Arnavutkoy-Istanbul 34345 Professor White draws on her years of living in Turkey and studying Turkish society to trace the emergence of the "new Turks"—pious Muslims who are at ease with both Islam and globalization. Turkey's Muslim elites have mounted a powerful political and economic challenge to the country's secularists, developing an alternative definition of the nation based on a nostalgic revival of Turkey's Ottoman past. These Muslim nationalists have pushed aside the Republican ideal of a nation defined by purity of blood, language, and culture. They see no contradiction in pious Muslims running a secular state, and increasingly express their Muslim identity through participation in economic networks and a lifestyle of Islamic fashion and leisure. Professor White’s provocative book traces how Muslim nationalists blur the line between the secular and the Islamic, supporting globalization and political liberalism, yet remaining mired in authoritarianism, intolerance, and cultural norms hostile to minorities and women. Professor White's Biography http://www.jennywhite.net/