Young Scholars: The Image of Modern Turkey in British India

About this event:
Yunus Emre Institute London is delighted to announce its upcoming Young Scholar Seminar Series talk: “The Image of Modern Turkey in British India,” by Dr. Bahar Izmir. The talk will take place on Thursday May 30, 2024 at 7 pm UK Time.

The Image of Modern Turkey in British India

In the historical course of relations between Indian Muslims and the Ottoman Empire, the institution of the Khilafat was the centre of the interactions for years. After the abolition of Khilafat on March 3, 1924, the impact of Pan-Islam started to decrease, thus in this period, whereas Turkey was transformed into a modern state, the independence movement in India went into an important advance. Alongside the criticism against the abolition of the Caliphate, there was also a rising interest in independent Turkey’s steps, domestic and foreign policies, and its leadership among nationalists of India. During this period, different motivations began to shape the relations established between India and Turkey. Indeed, the ideological dimension of the bilateral relations between the two countries was generally constructed on the base of a common rhetoric of “National Movement”. The lecture claims that Turkey’s transition to a modern state and reforms of Ataturk Period has a profound impact on Indian Nationalists. The lecture also aims to evaluate the profound impact of Turkish Revolution on Indian Nationalist Movement in the light of Indian archival sources, newspapers and correspondence of the time.

Bahar Izmir, an academician and historian specializing in Modern Turkish History and India. She works in Ankara University, the Institute of Turkish Revolution History as Assistant Professor. She was graduated from Middle East Technical University in 2012. She has completed her master (2016) and PhD (2022) in Ankara University. Her phd thesis is titled “The Relations between Turkey and British India between 1919-1947”. During the research phase of her doctoral thesis, she conducted archival research in India for a year and worked as a research fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi for a year. She has prominent publications, including book chapters and articles on modern Turkish history, Turkish-American relations and Turkey-India relations. She gives the lecture of “Atatürk’s Principles and History of Turkish Revolution” in Ankara University. Currently, she is a research fellow at the University of London, Royal Halloway, from September, with a TUBİTAK scholarship. She is here working with Prof. Francis Robinson on a book related to Turkey and India.

Date: Thursday 30th May 2024
Time: 7 pm
Venue: Yunus Emre Institute in London, 10 Maple Street, London, W1T 5HA

Traditional Turkish Refreshments will be served.

Admission is FREE but registration*** is ESSENTIAL via Eventbrite.

This talk forms part of the Young Scholar Seminar Series organised by Yunus Emre Institute in London.