Overview

A comprehensive, readable history of the Republic of Turkeythat gives equal weight to all periods in the first century of the Republic of Turkey. The republican order of Turkey seems not to have changed much since its foundation in 1923, but there were dramatic transformations: From Atatrk's modernization dictatorship in the 1920s and 1930s, over the massive migration into the cities and the military coups in the second half of the twentieth century, up to Recep Tayyip Erdoans electoral autocracy since the 2010s. This book makes us understand Turkey's historical trajectory in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the fate of its various communities and ethnic groups-in particular Alevis and Kurds-and argues that a particular trait of Turkish political culture is its constant fluctuation between confidence and contention, grandeur and grievance.

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Reviews

"“Maurus Reinkowski’s The History of Turkey: Grandeur and Grievance offers a critical retelling of Turkey’s triumphs and tragedies, providing an empathic exploration of the country’s past over a century. This expertly crafted work illuminates the country’s moments of grandeur and delves into its deep-seated grievances. Through an engagement with state-of-the-art research, Reinkowski’s keen eye for detail allows him to paint a vivid picture of Turkey’s complex history, surpassing standard textbooks. In a time of political crisis, Reinkowski’s engaging yet sober book offers a much-needed update to the perhaps overly optimistic scholarship of the last two decades. Impeccably researched and eloquently written, The History of Turkey: Grandeur and Grievance is an indispensable resource for scholars, students, and anyone seeking a critical understanding of Turkey’s past, present, and future.”  — Alp Yenen, Assistant Professor of Modern Turkish History and Culture, Leiden University “In his thought-provoking introductory chapter, Maurus Reinkowski aptly observes that Turkey is a country that evokes anything but indifference. This rings acutely true in 2023, as Turkey not only faces presidential elections but also gears up to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The History of Turkey provides an invaluable companion to unlock the historical context of these events. Covering a period from 1912 to the present, the book offers a nuanced, meticulously researched and vividly narrated historical overview. It serves as a comprehensive and widely accessible guide to Turkish history and historiography that also features insightful discussions of Turkey’s most recent decades. By skillfully embedding key developments within their broader historical and cultural contexts, the rich narrative invites readers to explore the complexity and diversity of Turkish history and allows them to recognize enduring legacies and reverberations of the processes depicted in the book.” — Barbara Henning, professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Ottoman and Turkish History “This work is the culmination of some forty years of diligent language practice, intensive research, meticulous observation, and genuine engagement with the societies of Turkey. The result is a profound piece of scholarship with pages full of intellectually sophisticated analyses and magisterial detail that provide a new interpretation of the land, state, and people. Well-grounded in a wide range of old and new scholarship, it is a highly accessible account of Turkey from both a comparative and global perspective. This book will eloquently but at the same time disturbingly and constantly remind readers how firmly the genesis of state ideology is built on the foundations of the late Ottoman and early Republican period. It is essential reading for introductory and advanced courses on Turkey and the Middle East, and for those who look for a concise, yet authoritative account of the region in order to understand the state, politics, and society in depth. There is no equivalent study of this quality for Turkey; Reinkowski deserves considerable praise for a work that should receive much attention.” — Metin Atmaca, Professor of Ottoman and Middle East History, Social Sciences University of Ankara ""This work of Maurus Reinkowski is an indispensable tool for those aiming to have a profound knowledge on present-day Turkish politics, or to understand this complex society. Having been trained in late Ottoman history and Middle East politics, Reinkowski is a keen observer of political and social developments in contemporary Turkey, also known officially as Türkiye. This study is chronologically organized, beginning with the historical roots of modern Turkey, followed by the Kemalist Republic (1923-1950), the period of 1950-1980, and recent Turkish history. What makes this book so appealing is its concentration on contemporary Turkish developments following the military coup of 1980. It discusses structural conditions leading to a crucial break from Kemalism, commenced with the so-called ‘Turkish-Islamic Synthesis’ ideology of the 1980s, continued by the economic liberalism of Turgut Özal, finally leading to the AKP-era presidential system accompanied by populism and authoritarianism. Reinkowski handles numerous topics, which still bear the quality of actuality, in a precise, informative and balanced manner."" — Selçuk Akşin Somel, Sabancı University, Istanbul “This mature work combines affection for the subject with detached insight; serious questioning with a positive approach. Drawing on the current state of research, Reinkowski appreciates Turkey's potential and grievances, but also highlights the dead ends of its ultranationalism. Reading his insightful narrative reveals a central challenge: how to build up trust and democratic confidence in the dynamic, but troubled post-Ottoman country that is Republican Turkey? This work differs from many traditional books on modern Turkey that overemphasize Atatürk, while ignoring the late-Ottoman context and new developments of the twenty-first century.” — Hans-Lukas Kieser, Historian, University of Newcastle, Australia, and University of Zurich, Switzerland"

Author Information

Maurus Reinkowski is Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. He is a specialist in the history of the late Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East. He has published on the early Israel-Palestine conflict, imperial order, conspiracy theories, conversion and crypto-religiosity.

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