Takhayyul Podcast Series & YouTube Channel

Take a seat and join us for a deep dive into some of the most pressing issues across the Balkans, Middle East, and South Asia as part of our podcast and live-stream series.

From the lived experiences of disaster in the wake of the recent earthquakes across Syria and Turkiye, to the imaginary forces fueling the rise of populist religious movements, listen as the Takhayyul team host some of the field’s leading scholars to discuss, dissect and debate these critical issues across the Balkans-to-Bengal Complex.

“Imagining Turkey” Podcast Series

Imagination, as an analytical angle, deserves our attention as a political and social force that informs and connects masses, crosses borders, and manifests new socialities.

This podcast series will host influential scholars, intellectuals, and artists who study and shape the imagination of Turkey on a global scale from various critical directions.

Imagining Turkey: Introductory Episode

The first episode of our new podcast series, Imagining Turkey, is now available on Spotify and SoundCloud through UCL Minds.

Join us in our inaugural episode as we delve into the rich tapestry of Turkey's history, its current dynamics, and the prospects for its future with the esteemed Professor Cemil Aydin from the University of North Carolina. Prof. Aydin takes us on a captivating journey through Turkey's past, offering insights into the diverse cultural, intellectual, and historical dimensions that have shaped the nation. Tune in as we uncover the layers of Turkey's past, assess its present, and contemplate the potential trajectories that may shape its future.

“Takhayyul Nativeness and Emergent Issues” Podcast Series

The need for this podcast series emerged due to a number of reasons. Firstly, the members of the Takhayyul Project Team are mostly native scholars who have expertise in the very geographies they have grown up in.

The project is carried out in 11 different countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia, often referred to as the Global South. That being said, those very contexts are more vulnerable to global changes and crises, as we have seen in the flood catastrophe in Pakistan, a result of global warming.

Thus, the members of this team have suggested creating a platform where we can address the emergent issues as they happen, with other scholars, intellectuals, and activists. 

We discuss the aftermath of the Turkey/Syria Earthquakes and the politics of global precarities in catastrophes with Dr. Aslı Zengin, Dr. Omar Al-Gazzi and Dr. Sumrin Kalia. We talk about what has been done, and what should be done in response to catastrophic events such as the earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria on February 6th, 2023.

In this episode, we host Nazan Üstündağ, Özlem Göner and Sardar Saadi, to discuss the rising violence across the four Kurdish regions. Join us to understand some of the most pressing current issues across this space.

The rest of the Takhayyul Nativeness and Emergent Issues Podcast Series is available on Spotify and SoundCloud via UCL Minds.

Livestreams and More on the Takhayyul YouTube Channel

Join the Takhayyul Project and our guest speakers for livestreams and lively conversation over on our official YouTube channel.

We cover content from across our regular podcast series, as well as new and original content on a range of issues from across the Balkans-to-Bengal region.