Turkish Studies

Specialisation of: Middle Eastern Studies
Degree: Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies
Mode of Study: Full-time
Duration: 1 year
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60842
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If you are interested in Turkey in the widest sense, ranging from history to linguistics, from literature to art and material culture, this MA specialisation offers excellent opportunities to deepen your knowledge and academic skills in Turkish Studies. You can gain insight into the dynamics of modernisation in Turkey, with an eye to the legacy of the past as well as the long term political, social, economic and cultural developments.

Through our links with the Turkish academic and intellectual world you will have the possibility to participate in a continuous exchange of up-to-date knowledge of the field. With its wide range of topics and its international student body, the programme creates an interesting and stimulating international study environment for anybody interested in pursuing a degree in Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Turkish Studies.

Programme

As a multidisciplinary programme spread over two semesters, you will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of topics covering the history and society of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey.

Semester 1

Students will have to take three courses during the first semester of which one will be taken jointly with students of other departments. The remaining two courses will be chosen from the courses offered by the Turkish Studies Department.

Semester 2

In the second semester you will travel to Istanbul, where you will take courses at one of our partner universities, collect materials for, and work on, your thesis. You will complete your thesis work upon your return to Leiden. For those who cannot travel to Turkey, alternative courses are offered at Leiden University.

For the most up to date course overview, see the e-Prospectus.

Please note: For students starting in the spring semester (February), the exact order of the programme components may be different from the order for students starting in the fall semester (September). This has no consequences for the quality of the programme.

Objectives

The aim of the programme is to introduce you to the concepts and academic approaches current in Turkish Studies, including various disciplines: linguistics, literature, history and social sciences. You will learn to use these concepts and approaches in researching and analysing source material in Turkish. Your thesis work will give you the opportunity to apply these methods in your own research.

Prof. Erik-Jan Zürcher

Erik-Jan Zürcher

“It is only possible to gain a better under-standing of present-day developments in the Middle East if you understand the historical background.”

“Leiden University enjoys a rich research tradition, and has a great many publications about Turkey to her name. The Turkish Languages and Cultures department is also well-known, particularly as text
books written in Leiden are used throughout the world.

This master’s programme focuses on the one hand on the origin of the modern Turkish nation state, and, on the other, on Turkey and the Ottoman Empire and their relationship to Europe. I myself am fascinated by the Middle East and by modern history, in particular the period around World War I. This makes Turkey a rewarding subject for study.

Until the First World War, the greater part of the Middle East belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Around 1918, the great empires came to an end: not only the Ottoman Empire, but also the German
Empire, the Hapsburg Empire and the Romanov Dynasty in Russia. The centuries-old multicultural Ottoman Empire was transformed into the modern mono-cultural republic of Turkey.

As a result of the start of accession talks between Turkey and the EU, the number of students with an interest in political science has been growing of late, but teaching in the MA specialisation Turkish Studies focuses primarily on the language, history and cultural heritage of Turkey. I firmly believe that it is only possible to gain a better understanding of present-day developments in the Middle East if
you understand the historical background.

Turkey is two things at the same time: a young state which has been created by a political elite, but also an ancient state, heir to the Ottoman Empire, which
existed for six hundred years. This has left its mark on the country.”

What Our Students Say

Banu Yıldırım

“The wide range of fields of expertise of the professors proved I had taken the right decision”

“When I decided to do a master’s in Turkish Studies and started to look for an appropriate programme, the MA offered by the Turkish Studies department of Leiden University drew my attention. Of course, the opportunity to work with Professor Erik Jan Zürcher – a renowned expert on present-day Turkey and the author of Turkey: a Modern History – played an important role in my decision to opt for this programme.

Once I got started with the programme, the wide range of fields of expertise of the professors involved in the programme, the extensive library and the relaxed atmosphere in Leiden proved I had taken the right decision.”

Banu Yıldırım, MA Arabic, Persian and Turkish Languages and Cultures