01/03/2018
Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) hosted Professor Zafer Toprak.
Professor Zafer Toprak spoke about his latest book “Türkiye’de Yeni Hayat” at an event hosted by the Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center. Professor Toprak told the story of his book, which discusses how the quest for modern living evolved into social trauma in the near history of Turkey, to a large audience from academic and cultural circles.
Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) hosted a discussion by Professor Zafer Toprak on his latest book "Türkiye'de Yeni Hayat". The event took place at Minerva Han in Karaköy with a large audience consisting of students and faculty from various universities, and listeners interested in recent history.
Delivering introductory remarks, Sabancı University Faculty Member and IPC Director Fuat Keyman said, “We have always loved to introduce Zafer Toprak’s work. He is a prolific researcher and scholar of history who bases his work on profound research. This book is another great move by Zafer Hoca."
Discussing the story and content of his latest book, Professor Toprak spoke about how the quest for modern living in the recent history of Turkey turned into a social trauma.
The book concentrates on the period between 1908 and 1928, when the postwar Republican Turkey turned its face to the West and imposed radical changes on its lifestyle to find a "new life." The book also deals with neo-statism shaped by restorative control mechanisms in response to individual and social tremors experienced in the societal devastation of World War I. Being a period of time when Ottoman cultural codes were brought under question, these years also contain the social trauma sustained during the quest for the "new people" of the country.
The book visits themes in sociology, psychology and anthropology to shed light on political science.
