Yaprak Gürsoy

Alternative forms of political participation: youth, co-production and participatory art

🎤 Speakers: Melis Cin, Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm, Craig Walker
💬 Discussant: Manu Lekunze
🔗 Register: lse.ac.uk/contemporary...

#LSEEvents #LSETurkiye
@lse-ei.bsky.social @lsects.bsky.social @lseevents.bsky.social

📣 Join us for a public event hosted by LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies!
🗓️ Wed, 12 Nov | 🕕 6PM
📍LSE | Reception to follow
🎤 Panel on how marginalised youth use art & co-production to transform exclusion into engagement in Türkiye, South Africa & Uganda.

Event poster

🚨New LSE Event🚨
Türkiye, South Africa & Uganda
Alternative Forms of Political Participation: Youth, Co-Production and Participatory Art
🗓 Wednesday 12 Nov 2025 | 6–7.30 pm | Thai Theatre, CKK (In-person)
Register to attend: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
@lse-ei.bsky.social @africaatlse.bsky.social

🎤 Speakers: Melis Cin, Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm, Craig Walker
💬 Discussant: Manu Lekunze
🎙 Chair: Yaprak Gürsoy
Hosted by @lsects.bsky.social

#LSEEvents #YouthVoices #ParticipatoryArt #CoProduction #CreativePolitics #SocialJustice #ContemporaryTurkishStudies

Around the world, marginalised youth, including refugees and displaced communities, are redefining politics through creativity.

From Istanbul to Johannesburg to Oruchinga, this event explores how art & exhibitions create inclusive spaces for dialogue, peacebuilding & political life.

Event poster

🚨New LSE Event🚨
Türkiye, South Africa & Uganda
Alternative Forms of Political Participation: Youth, Co-Production and Participatory Art
🗓 Wednesday 12 Nov 2025 | 6–7.30 pm | Thai Theatre, CKK (In-person)
Register to attend: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
@lse-ei.bsky.social @africaatlse.bsky.social

The frenemy within – populism’s dual role in democratisation Is populism a threat to democracy or a force for democratisation? New research suggests populism can both revitalise politics and erode democratic institutions.

Our article, “The Frenemy Within: Populism’s Dual Role in Democratization”, with @toygarsinanbaykan.bsky.social
in @democratization.bsky.social
is now available on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social as a blog post blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2... @lse-ei.bsky.social

Happy first day of the Autumn Term! 🍂

This academic year is an extra special one as we are celebrating LSE’s 130th anniversary 🎂

The theme is centred around LSE’s impact, past and present. Look out for celebratory events, freebies, exciting announcements, and much more from October onwards! 🎉

Conflict and Civicness Research Blog Blog articles and research ideas from Conflict and Civicness Research Group at LSE, working in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine and Syria.

The blog series is part of a research project exploring how we can ensure people’s safety and effective security without relying on nuclear weapons. The project is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Read more posts and interesting research on the subject here: blogs.lse.ac.uk/crp/

Rethinking NATO Through Türkiye’s Lens - Conflict and Civicness Research Blog With the start of the second Trump administration, a pressing question has surfaced in European capitals: Can the United States and NATO still be trusted to deter Russian aggression? This uncertainty ...

My recent blog post on seeing NATO through the Turkish lens has been published by the Conflict and Civicness Research Blog at LSE. blogs.lse.ac.uk/crp/2025/08/...
@lse-ei.bsky.social @lse-ei.bsky.social

Thanks to the editors of @democratization.bsky.social and the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions on improving the article.
A big thanks to #LSE as well for supporting the article's Open Access publication.

Based on an overview of the theoretical literature and historical cases across the globe, we conclude:
Understanding populism as a frenemy of democracy rather than just an enemy is crucial for democratic resilience in the future.

The article is part of a special issue on "50 Years of the Third Wave of Democracy" and democratic resilience; therefore, we emphasize that populism’s reliance on elections shows democracy’s normative strength. Populists rarely reject democracy outright but surely bend liberal norms.

Thus, it’s a frenemy of democracy: has positives in some contexts, harmful in others.
A key warning: Don’t conflate populism with far-right ideology. This oversimplification can obscure how non-populist actors also use illiberal means, ironically, in the name of defending democracy.

Populism isn’t just a threat; it can be a democratic catalyst. It mobilizes excluded groups, challenges entrenched elites, and sometimes opens space for participation in authoritarian contexts.
But populism also undermines liberal institutions, especially when coupled with other conditions.

The frenemy within: populism’s dual role in democratization Different approaches to democracy and populism lead to varied conclusions about their relationship. Some see populism as a threat to democracy, while others argue that it can contribute to democrat...

Excited to share my latest co-authored article with @toygarsinanbaykan.bsky.social in @democratization.bsky.social
“The Frenemy Within: Populism’s Dual Role in Democratization”
We explore how populism can both revive and erode democracy.
🔗 tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
@lse-ei.bsky.social

Congratulations! 👏 After hearing about your initial field research from you, Aytuğ and Ladin, I am looking forward to reading this article. ❗

Find out more about the exhibition on Instagram: www.instagram.com/more_than_a_...

More than a Bundle Story: An Interview with Emel Sevinç LSE Contemporary Turkish Studies · Episode

Listen to the podcast of the interview here: open.spotify.com/episode/2YtJ...

More than a Bundle Story: An Interview with Emel Sevinç
#LSETürkiye @lsects.bsky.social

How have Turkish communities in the 60s & 70s navigated their belonging in the UK? Don't miss the display at Hackney Museum in London until 16 August.

Watch the interview here: echo360.org.uk/media/d2844d...

Past Events Public events organised by the Chair for Contemporary Turkish Studies

Prof @selvademiralp.com 's #LSETürkiye talk,
"Inflation and Institutions: Türkiye, the United States, and the Politics of Price Stability" with Dr Orkun Saka, is now available as a video and a podcast.
Follow the links: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
@lsects.bsky.social @lse-ei.bsky.social

Elif Toker Turnalar and Emel Sevinç

L-R: Emel Akçcalı, Mustafa Kutlay, Yaprak Gürsoy, Diğdem Soyaltın, Özge Zihnioğlu

L-R: Başak Kale, Elif Toker Turnalar, Tuğçe Bıçakçı-Syed, Aslı Kandemir

Great panels and speaker line-up for last Saturday's BATAS Symposium at #LSETürkiye @lsects.bsky.social
All-star line-up. Thank you to all the speakers and attendees for the excellent discussions and for sharing new research projects and ideas.

Great lecture by @selvademiralp.com last Thursday, followed by excellent discussions & questions by Orkun Saka & the audience. Watch this space and @lsects.bsky.social for the recording and more #LSETürkiye
@lse-ei.bsky.social @kocuniversity.bsky.social

It was a pleasure to part of this daily event on Turkish politics and society organized by LSE ContemporaryTurkish Studies.
I had a great conversation with colleagues, friends and wider public!
@ygursoy.bsky.social @mustafakutlay.bsky.social @ozihnioglu.bsky.social
@emelin777.bsky.social

34th BATAS Spring Symposium Event Poster

Poster: Prof Selva Demiralp talk on Inflation and Institutions: Turkiye, the United States, and the Politics of Price Stability

#LSETürkiye has two events coming up this week.
1. Thu, 05/06 @selvademiralp.com lecture on inflation
2. Sat, 07/06 BATAS symposium on foreign policy & displacement
Register to both events: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
Keeping busy during #eid
@lsects.bsky.social @lse-ei.bsky.social

Amazing speakers for this Symposium on Turkish Politics at the LSE on June 7th. All welcome. Full details and registration here: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...

Upcoming Events Public events organised by the Chair for Contemporary Turkish Studies

One week from now, on June 5, @lsects.bsky.social will host @selvademiralp.com to discuss inflation in the US and Türkiye. Orkun Saka will be the discussant. Don't miss this timely event and register here: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
@lse-ei.bsky.social

The @civica.bsky.social Global Forum took place May 6-7 on IE University's campus in Madrid, where our Professor Yaprak Gürsoy @ygursoy.bsky.social @lsects.bsky.social offered an overview of recent developments in the #Turkish #highereducation sector.

🔗 Find out more: info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisi...

Event Poster: Inflation and Institutions: Türkiye, the United States, and the Politics or Price Stability

📆Thursday, 5 June
🕕18:00
📢 Lecture by @selvademiralp.com
🍷 followed by a drinks reception
🎟Don't forget to register via our website: lse.ac.uk/contemporary-t…
@lse-ei.bsky.social #LSETürkiye

Turkish Politics and Society in Flux
📍 LSE Campus | 7 June | 10am to 5pm
A full-day symposium on identity, foreign policy, diaspora and political change in Türkiye
Hosted by LSE and BATAS
🎟 Free event
🔗 More: www.lse.ac.uk/contemporary...
#LSETürkiye