CAMDEN — Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Edoğan and his party, has become increasingly authoritarian in the past couple of decades, according to a news release. What does this mean for Turkey and the world? 

The Camden Public Library, as a part of the Camden Conference Community Events Series, presents Professor Senem Aslan for her talk, “Erdoğan’s ‘New Turkey’: Politics of Emotions and Authoritarian Populism.” This event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 2 p.m., in-person at the Camden Public Library. Refreshments will be provided. 

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been in power for the last two decades, far longer than most populist leaders. This talk will survey key political, social, and economic changes under Erdoğan’s rule, examining how his regime has undermined Turkey’s fragile democratic institutions and shifted the country toward authoritarianism, characterized by free yet unfair elections. It will discuss how emotional strategies have contributed to Erdoğan’s sustained popularity and longevity, even in the face of significant policy failures. 

Presenter Senem Aslan is a professor of Politics at Bates College. She is the author of Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. She is currently writing a new book on performative-emotional politics in Erdoğan’s Turkey. 

This presentation is hosted by the Camden Public Library and offered as a free community event in anticipation of the 38th Annual Camden Conference – Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective, February 21-23, 2025, live at the Camden Opera House and live-streamed to the Strand Theatre in Rockland, Lunt Auditorium in Falmouth, and to homes and classrooms worldwide. For more information about the Camden Conference and upcoming events, visit www.camdenconference.org.