Under the Shadow: Rage and Revolution in Modern Turkey
Turkey stands at the crossroads of the Middle East--caught between the West and ISIS, Syria and Russia, and governed by an increasingly forceful leader. Acclaimed writer Kaya Genc has been covering his country for the past decade. In Under the Shadow he meets activists from both sides of Turkey's political divide: Gezi park protestors who fought tear gas and batons to transform their country's future, and supporters of Erdogan's conservative vision who are no less passionate in their activism. He talks to artists and authors to ask whether the New Turkey is a good place to for them to live and work. He interviews censored journalists and conservative writers both angered by what has been going on in their country.He meets Turkey's Wall Street types who take to the streets despite the enormity of what they can lose as well as the young Islamic entrepreneurs who drive Turkey's economy.While talking to Turkey's angry young people Genc weaves in historical stories, visions and mythologies, showing how Turkey's progressives and conservatives take their ideological roots from two political movements born in the Ottoman Empire: the Young Turks and the Young Ottomans, two groups of intellectuals who were united in their determination to make their country more democratic.
He shows a divided society coming to terms with the 21st Century, and in doing so, gets to the heart of the compelling conflicts between history and modernity in the Middle East.
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Become an affiliateTurkish journalist Genc profiles young Turkish activists organizing on his country's frontlines in this fascinating and informative compilation that represents both investigative and literary journalism at their finest.
-- (10/07/2016)...refreshingly balanced...Mr. Genc is a subtle guide to the wrenching changes Turkey is undergoing, and his personal testimony is rich in historical and cultural detail. More of his insights would have been welcome; he has announced himself here as a voice to be listened to as Turkey struggles to come to terms with itself.
-- (11/14/2016)'Illuminating... Genç cleverly and patiently interviews participants on both sides of the protests to build a fuller picture of today's Turkish youth... Genç brings an important perspective to a tumultuous period in national and international politics.'
--Greg Cullison, L.A. Review of Books, (12/11/2016)'Genç brings some historical knowledge to bear on the present day...encompassing so broad a spectrum is certainly a good idea... Genç should be applauded for his polyphonic portrait'
--William Armstrong, Times Literary Supplement (12/23/2016)"There have been numerous books of analysis published about contemporary Turkey, but few come close to Kaya Genç's Under the Shadow: Rage and Revolution in Modern Turkey for sheer humanism and breadth of perspective."--Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice (04/28/2017)