Post-Imperial Turkish State and Islam, 1923-1950
14 days return policy
Shipping & Delivery
Product details
- ISBN 9781666979916
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 03 Sep 2026
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
The period between 1923-1950 is seen as the golden age of secularism in the Turkish Republic, but how true is this? The Post-Imperial Turkish State and Islam, 1923-1950 revisits the relationship between the state and Islam in Turkey during this period, arguing that it was shaped and complicated by a post-imperial trauma that manifested in almost all parts of political and social life.
Using extensive Turkish and English language government documents, the authors argue that this was neither a golden age for secularism, nor a dark age for Islam in Turkey. Instead, they reveal how the Turkish government’s relationship with Islam was shaped by three processes of negotiation. First, the ‘Lausanne negotiation’ between Turkey and the victorious powers of the First World War, second between the Kemalist government and both its dissenters and the largely conservative Turkish society, and third, amongst the Kemalist themselves. Through these negotiations, the authors reveal the intricate and complex relationship between state and religion in post-imperial Turkey, contributing fascinating new insights to the established literature on this subject.
Tuba Ünlü Bilgiç is an associate professor of International Relations at University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. She holds a PhD degree in government from Georgetown University. She received her BA and MA in International Relations from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. She served as a career diplomat at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs before joining academia. She has published books and articles on various aspects of Turkish politics and foreign policy.
Bestami S. Bilgiç holds a PhD degree in History from the George Washington University. He received his BA and MA in International Relations from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. Currently he teaches at Blinn College, University of St. Thomas-Houston, Houston City College, and Lone Star College in Texas. Dr. Bilgiç has published books, book sections, and articles on various aspects of Ottoman and modern Turkish politics and Turkish- American relations.
