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Conveniently located in between the Soviet Union, Middle East and Europe, Turkey had a strategically significant but precarious position during the Cold War. Although decidedly tied to the US-led Western coalition since the end of the Second World War, the country was also open to influences from the opposite end of the ideological spectrum. By the mid-1960s, with the leftist movement, “Third World spirit” and the anti-American sentiment on the rise, Turkey would prove to be an uneasy Cold War ally.
Since the 1980s, political scientists and international relations scholars have contributed to a growing literature on Turkey’s position and policies during the Cold War. Much of this literature, however, examined the country’s experiences with regard to high politics, i.e., Turkey’s Cold War diplomacy, military strategy, bilateral relations, etc. The contributors to the edited volume Turkey’s Cultural Cold War aim to approach Turkey’s Cold War record from a wider angle and examine the local experiences associated with this global ideological confrontation. Inspired by the emerging Cultural Cold War literature in the world, this volume aims to explore the social and cultural dimensions of this historical episode in/about Turkey.
The volume’s themes include all types of propaganda and persuasion activities - particularly the role of various media (radio, movies, books, pamphlets, etc.) in disseminating ideology; the work undertaken by bilateral cultural/friendship associations, construction of official and alternative discourses (i.e., anti-communist vs. communist discourse), the political/ideological dimensions of foreign aid and assistance, sport competitions, student exchanges, daily life activities, literary works, etc.
Editors:
Cangul Ornek, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar (as of Fall, 2012), Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University, NYC
Cagdas Ungor, Ph.D., Department of Political Science and International Relations,
Marmara University, Istanbul
Deadlines:
Those who are interested in the project may send a 400-word abstract (including the title, scope, sources, and main findings of the article) and a short biography (affiliation, research areas, previous work, contact info) to cagdasungor@yahoo.com or cangulornek@gmail.com on or before August 10, 2011. The deadline for the submission of full articles (around 8,000 words, including the footnotes) is December 10, 2011. We encourage all writers to communicate with the editors about their topics and/or any other inquiries concerning the project.
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