Lecture: Rituals, memories, and spaces: The construction of a ‘National/Islamic’ May Day in Turkey

The Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies invites you to the lecture:
“Rituals, memories, and spaces: The construction of a ‘National/Islamic’ May Day in Turkey”

Speaker: Nikos Moudouros
Lecturer

Wednesday, April 26, 2023
TIME: 16:00
Room: Α106
Old Campus – University of Cyprus
Kallipoleos Avenue, 75

Abstract:

This presentation focuses on decoding some of the many aspects of Islamism – labour relations in Turkey, based on the political rituals that historically operate as self-definitions of the working class, like May Day. The presentation seeks to analyze the process by which Hak-İş dealt with May Day in Turkey, through the prism of the transformation of material culture, the symbolisms and confrontation for political space. The theoretical framework is based on an attempt to combine aspects of material culture and the importance of the invention of traditions in relation to social memory. Through this framework, the presentation highlights three different stages in the political mobilization of Hak-İş regarding the 1st of May, within the broader framework of a process named “loss of proletarity”.

(The lecture is a part of the evaluation procedure for Dr. Moudouros’ promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor and will be given in English)

Short CV:

Nikos Moudouros obtained his PhD from the University of Cyprus (Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies). He is the author of the books: State of Exception in the Mediterranean. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot Community (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021); The transformation of Turkey. From the Kemalist domination to ‘Islamic neo-liberalism’ (Alexandria Publications, Athens 2012) He has published articles in many academic journals and chapters in other books. Research interests: political economy of Turkey, Islamism, contemporary Turkish political thought, contemporary history of the Turkish Cypriot community.