Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies/Karpat Lecture

This lecture traces the evolution of Byzantine studies in Turkey from the late Ottoman period to the present, with particular emphasis on the roles played by both state and non-state actors, as well as local and foreign contributors. It examines how shifting political ideologies—including Kemalism, nationalism, Westernism, and religious conservatism—have shaped and reshaped the study of Byzantine times. The talk explores how Byzantine heritage has been reinterpreted and often instrumentalized.