Zeynep Kezer offers a dazzling array of sources to reveal the untidy process by which Republican ideals of a modern urban life and a new political culture were translated into built form. A must-read for those interested in the relation between nationalism, modernity, and urban space.
Swati Chattopadhyay, University of California, Santa Barbara Zeynep Kezer's broad ... Read moreand critical study focuses on how the new Turkish republic was built in the 1920s and 1930s. Hers is a literal use of the term 'built' in the sense that she demonstrates how the space that was left behind from the Ottoman Empire was reorganized completely in this period. She does a very good job of showing how this rebuilding was a sustained effort at erasing the traces of the old society and culture. We have here a truly original contribution to the history of modern Turkey.
Resat Kasaba, University of Washington Show Less