The Program: Turkiye at 100:  Is Ataturk’s Dream Still Possible?

This presentation envisions Turkiye’s future in terms of its past.  Intended by its founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to be a trans-ethnic, Western-oriented secular democracy, we look at her future in the context of Ataturk’s “Six Arrows” of development.  Are the past two decades of Recep Tayyip Erdogan a falling away from Turkiye’s ideals or are they a temporary retreat from the dream of a secular democracy?  Historical perspectives and modern trends will be considered in this framework.

Presenter: Gary M. Grossman

Gary M. Grossman is Professor Emeritus in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University (ASU) and has served the university for the past 29 years. He is internationally recognized for leadership and scholarship in his areas of interest and has built his career on the relationships between social, economic, and political institutions and the needs of the society of which it is a part, both in his native country and around the world. Professor Grossman was awarded two consecutive Fulbright Research Grants (2002-2004) and spent that period engaged in research and teaching at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey.  He served as a International Programme Consultant/Visiting Scientist with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) in Rome, Italy from 2019-2021. His current research concerns the implementation efficacy of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally, with a particular focus in the nations of Central Asia; emerging theory in Global Development; and political development and technological change in the Global South. Professor Grossman has extensive experience in Eastern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the Middle East/Central Asia. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971 from Raymond College, University of the Pacific and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Purdue University in 1976 and 1985, respectively.

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023 6:00pm Tanoan Country Club