Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
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The discussions surrounding the authenticity of the extra-Qur'ānic traditions in Islam has been a prevalent theme in the scholarship for the last six decades. This thesis is about the modern...Show moreThe discussions surrounding the authenticity of the extra-Qur'ānic traditions in Islam has been a prevalent theme in the scholarship for the last six decades. This thesis is about the modern polemics surrounding the parts of the Islamic tradition with supposed Jewish origins, also known as the “Isrāʾīliyyāt”. The term Isrāʾīliyyāt has been the subject of numerous religious-polemical works since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with Modernist Muslim commentators arguing for the ejection of this material to make way for a return to pristine Islam. Although such arguments against Isrāʾīliyyāt find considerable coverage in the academic literature, the dynamic exegetical scene in Turkey is often neglected. Highlighting the discussions in Turkey, this research aims to bring out the contemporary debates about Isrāʾīliyyāt therein with a study of the ‘new media’, a platform that is widely used by preachers from different ideological camps. This thesis seeks to situate the Turkish case within the larger Middle Eastern context of Modernist Islam by discovering the connections between exegetes from different localities and eras, aiming to locate the intellectual influences of the figures that are studied.Show less
This thesis investigates the sustainability and benefits of Sino-Turkish cooperation within the Turkish energy and transport sectors. Through the application of concepts such as "energy security"...Show moreThis thesis investigates the sustainability and benefits of Sino-Turkish cooperation within the Turkish energy and transport sectors. Through the application of concepts such as "energy security" and "environmentally sustainable transport" the research results can be presented coherently along firm boundaries. Increasing Chinese influence seems to be beneficial for Turkey to achieve its 2023 goals of becoming an important energy and transport hub. However, the aspired ecological sustainability of the cooperation is endangered through the use of traditional sources of energy and transport.Show less
A discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries...Show moreA discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries of enormous natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean are having a paradigm shifting effect on the international relations of the region. Hence, the research question that drives this thesis is the following. What will the impact of the natural gas be on the international relations of the states of the Eastern Mediterranean? This paper will show that natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean has led to greater cooperation and regionalisation and will continue to do so in the future. However, this paper will also show the limitations of the beneficial effects of cooperation over natural resources. The relevancy of this topic stems from it alluding to an important question, whether natural resources are a blessing or a curse. For many countries the discovery of natural resources has led to great wealth and development. However, for many others it has been a burden leading to less development and growth or even weakening democracy. Resources and the competition over them can also lead to conflict and it is this realm of the international political consequences of the resources that this paper is focused on.Show less
A comparative historical research upon the situation and its development of the identities of the Alevite and Alawite minorities within Turkey and Syria.
This paper will seek possible and convincing explanations of Turkey’s military involvements in the Syrian conflict. It is positioned in the researches of third party interventions in intrastate...Show moreThis paper will seek possible and convincing explanations of Turkey’s military involvements in the Syrian conflict. It is positioned in the researches of third party interventions in intrastate conflicts within the field of International Relations. I will use qualitative method and test Patrick M. Regan’s theoretical assumptions on military interventions by using the case of Turkey’s military interventions in the Syrian conflict. In terms of case study, I will provide two sub-cases, which are Operation Olive Branch, launched on January 20, 2018 till March 18, 2018 and Operation Euphrates Shield conducted from August 24, 2016 to March 29, 2017. By examining these two intervention policies, I will seek Turkey’s main objectives in meddling in the Syrian quagmire.Show less
The goal of this thesis is to focus on the Greek women of Istanbul and how all these political events influenced their lives, while also providing an analysis of their language choices and their...Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to focus on the Greek women of Istanbul and how all these political events influenced their lives, while also providing an analysis of their language choices and their status in the society of Istanbul. The analyses will be based on a set of letters of written by Sophia to her daughter Elpida who moved from Istanbul to Netherlands in 1954. In addition to these letters, other sources of data include interviews of five Istanbul Greek women, information from the Society of Greeks of Istanbul and books that have collected testimonies, newspaper articles and report of the Greek consul and speeches of Turkish officials. It can be concluded from all these source materials that the Greek women of Istanbul were unequivocally influenced by the political events of 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s in distinctive ways.Show less
