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Event Series

Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey

 

The Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey was established in 2015 at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies through a gift by the family of Hüsnü Özyeğin, a leading Turkish entrepreneur and philanthropist. The Özyeğin Forum provides a platform for the study of Turkey and its relationship with Europe. It consists of two components:

  • the Hüsnü Özyeğin Annual Lecture, a high-profile public event.
  • the Özyeğin Speaker Series, which supports the inclusion of themes related to Turkey in seminars and workshops at CES throughout the academic year.

To learn more about the Forum's establishment, refer to the press release.

About Hüsnü Özyeğin

Hüsnü Özyeğin (MBA 1969), Founder and Chairman of Fiba Holding & Chairman of Özyeğin University

The gift to establish the Forum was provided by members of the Özyeğin family to honor Hüsnü Özyeğin, a prominent alumnus of Harvard Business School (MBA 1969) and recipient of its 2011 “Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award.” Özyeğin is Founder and Chairman of Fiba Holding and Chairman of Özyeğin University. He has been a generous supporter of Harvard University for over 20 years. He has received international acclaim for his charitable endeavors that support Turkey’s social and economic advancement, primarily in the fields of education, rural development, health and culture.

Photo Gallery

Martti Ahtisaari, Chairman of the Independent Commissioner on Turkey, was the keynote speaker at "The Inaugural Hüsnü Özyeğin Annual Lecture on Modern Turkey" in October 2015.

Forum Events Calendar

Fears, Anxieties and Resources: Parental Strategies for Securing Children's Social Mobility in the Turkish Educational System Seminar on Social Exclusion and Inclusion — Fears, Anxieties and Resources: Parental Strategies for Securing Children's Social Mobility in the Turkish Educational System
April 25, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Çetin Çelik – Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Scholars Program, Harvard University; Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Koç University
  • Gökce Yurdakul – Georg Simmel Professor of Diversity and Social Conflict, Humboldt University of Berlin; Chair in Research Cluster, Berlin Institute of Migration and Integration Research
  • Chair Michèle Lamont – Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies, Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies, Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Faculty Associate & Co-Chair, Seminar on Social Exclusion and Inclusion, CES, Harvard University and Natasha Warikoo – Professor of Sociology, Tufts University and Kathrin Zippel – Professor of Sociology, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate & Co-Chair, Seminar on Social Exclusion and Inclusion, CES, Harvard University
Just Don't Know What To Do With Turkish-American Relations Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Just Don't Know What To Do With Turkish-American Relations
March 12, 2019
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Soli Özel – Tom and Andi Bernstein Human Rights Fellow, Schell Center, Yale Law School; Lecturer, Political Science Department and International Relations Department, Kadir Has University
Making Germans out of Turks and Arabs? Holocaust Memory and Inclusion/Exclusion of Immigrants Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Making Germans out of Turks and Arabs? Holocaust Memory and Inclusion/Exclusion of Immigrants
September 24, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Esra Özyürek – Associate Professor in Contemporary Turkish Studies, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Chair Colin Brown – Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Resetting Turkey’s Strategic Relations West and East Hüsnü Özyeğin Annual Lecture on Modern Turkey — Resetting Turkey’s Strategic Relations West and East
April 23, 2018
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Francis J. Ricciardone – President of the American University in Cairo; United States Ambassador to Turkey (2011-2014)
  • Chair Daniel Ziblatt – Professor of Government, Harvard University; Author of New York Times Bestseller "How Democracies Die"
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Critique of Turkey's Education Policy Scene Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Critique of Turkey's Education Policy Scene
March 21, 2018
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Batuhan Aydagül – Director, Education Reform Initiative; Member, Advisory Board, Mother and Child Education Foundation; Fellow, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)
Turkey and the West: Fault Lines in a Troubled Alliance Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Turkey and the West: Fault Lines in a Troubled Alliance
October 30, 2017
4:30pm - 6:00pm
  • Kemal Kirişci – TÜSİAD Senior Fellow and Director, Turkey Project, Center on the United States and Europe, The Brookings Institution
  • Jonathan Laurence – Professor of Political Science, Boston College; Director, Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, Boston College; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Malik Mufti – Professor, Department of Political Science, Tufts University
  • Chair Lenore Martin – Professor of Political Science, Emmanuel College; Associate, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs & Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
The Singing Turk: Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon New Directions in European History & Özyegin Forum on Modern Turkey — The Singing Turk: Ottoman Power and Operatic Emotions on the European Stage from the Siege of Vienna to the Age of Napoleon
September 28, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Larry Wolff – Silver Professor; Professor of History, New York University
Reconsidering the Fractured Alliance: Lessons Learned and Future Prospects for Europe, Turkey and the United States The Hüsnü Özyeğin Annual Lecture — Reconsidering the Fractured Alliance: Lessons Learned and Future Prospects for Europe, Turkey and the United States
April 25, 2017
4:15pm - 5:45pm
  • Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall – Fisher Family Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (2014-2017); Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council (2009-2013); Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia (1994-1996)
  • Chair Peter A. Hall – Krupp Foundation Professor of European Studies, CES Resident Faculty & Seminar Chair, Harvard University
Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium - Panel 2: Architects for “Refugees” Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium
Colloquium — Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium - Panel 2: Architects for “Refugees”
April 8, 2017
11:30am - 2:00pm
  • Esra Akcan – Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Cornell University
  • Bilgin Ayata – Assistant Professor of Political Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel
  • Phillipp Misselwitz – Chair of Habitat Unit, Institute for Architecture Technical University, Berlin
  • Moderated by Berna Turam – Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium - Panel 1: “Refugee” Architects Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium
Colloquium — Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium - Panel 1: “Refugee” Architects
April 8, 2017
9:20am - 11:10am
  • Kader Konuk – Professor of Turkish Studies, Department of Humanities, University of Duisburg-Essen
  • Bernd Nicolai – Professor of History of Architecture and Conservation, Institute of Art History, University of Bern
  • Moderated by Sibel Bozdoğan – Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Professor of Architecture, Kadir Has University
Introduction Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin Colloquium
Finding Refuge: Istanbul-Berlin — Introduction
April 8, 2017
9:10am - 9:20am
  • Esra Akcan – Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Cornell University
"Midnight at the Pera Palace" - The Birth of Modern Istanbul Özyeğin Forum Speaker Series — "Midnight at the Pera Palace" - The Birth of Modern Istanbul
March 29, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Charles King – Professor of International Affairs and Government & Chair of the Department of Government, Georgetown University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Director (2012-2023), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Populist Paradox: How the Promotion of Christian Identity by European Populists Contributes to Secularization Contemporary Europe and European Union Study Groups — The Populist Paradox: How the Promotion of Christian Identity by European Populists Contributes to Secularization
February 1, 2017
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Olivier Roy – Research Director, Unit on the 'Iranian World,' Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris
  • Tarek Masoud – Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • Introduction by Muriel Rouyer – Visiting Scholar 2009-2010, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Contested Cities: Inclusion of Muslim Piety to Secular Places Seminar on Social Exclusion and Inclusion — Contested Cities: Inclusion of Muslim Piety to Secular Places
October 28, 2016
2:15pm - 4:00pm
  • Berna Turam – Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Sibel Bozdoğan – Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Professor of Architecture, Kadir Has University
Why Turkey Matters for Europe: Dinner Discussion with Sir Peter Westmacott Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Why Turkey Matters for Europe: Dinner Discussion with Sir Peter Westmacott
April 20, 2016
5:30pm - 7:30pm
  • Sir Peter Westmacott – Former British Ambassador to Turkey (2002-2006); Former British Ambassador to France (2007-2012); Former British Ambassador to the United States (2012-2016); Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Welcome Remarks by Hüsnü M. Özyeğin – Founder and Chairman, Fiba Holding; Chairman, Özyeğin University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Director (2012-2023), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
The Fateful Marriage: Patriarchy, Governance and Violence in Turkey Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — The Fateful Marriage: Patriarchy, Governance and Violence in Turkey
April 13, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Deniz Kandiyoti – Emeritus Professor in Development Studies, SOAS, University of London
Beyond the Siege: Cultural Traffic between Austrians and Turks in the 20th Century Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Beyond the Siege: Cultural Traffic between Austrians and Turks in the 20th Century
April 7, 2016
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Maureen Healy – Associate Professor of History, Lewis & Clark College
The Current State of Turkey-EU Relations: Luncheon Discussion with H.E. Volkan Bozkir, Minister for EU Affairs of Turkey Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — The Current State of Turkey-EU Relations: Luncheon Discussion with H.E. Volkan Bozkir, Minister for EU Affairs of Turkey
March 2, 2016
11:45am - 1:30pm
  • H.E. Volkan Bozkir – Minister for European Union Affairs of Turkey
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Director (2012-2023), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Turkey and the European Union at a Crossroad The Inaugural Hüsnü Özyeğin Annual Lecture on Modern Turkey — Turkey and the European Union at a Crossroad
October 1, 2015
4:15pm - 6:00pm
  • Martti Ahtisaari – Chairman, Independent Commission on Turkey; Founder & Chairman of the Board, Crisis Management Initiative; President, Republic of Finland (1994-2000); Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, (2008)
  • Melani Cammett – Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Department of Government, Harvard University; Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University; Faculty Affiliate, Middle East Initiative, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Cemal Kafadar – Vehbi Koç Professor of Turkish Studies, Harvard University; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Kemal Kirişci – TÜSİAD Senior Fellow and Director, Turkey Project, Center on the United States and Europe, The Brookings Institution
  • Elaine Papoulias – Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Berna Turam – Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University; Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Introduction by Ayla Göksel – CEO, Özyeğin Social Investments
  • Moderated by Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Director (2012-2023), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Turkey: Growing Pains Under the Long Shadow of History Inauguration of the Özyeğin Forum on Modern Turkey — Turkey: Growing Pains Under the Long Shadow of History
April 27, 2015
4:15pm - 7:00pm
  • Daron Acemoglu – Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Faculty Associate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Chair Grzegorz Ekiert – Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Harvard University; Resident Faculty & Director (2012-2023), Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
  • Introduction by Ayla Göksel – CEO, Özyeğin Social Investments
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