Trinity-Yunus Emre Institute link supports Turkish Cultural History lectureship

Posted on: 23 February 2018

Trinity College Dublin today signed an agreement with the Yunus Emre Institute, which will fund a new assistant professorship in Turkish Cultural History. As a result, Trinity becomes the first Irish university to partner with the Yunus Emre Institute.

The Yunes Emre Institute Lectureship will see a distinguished academic join Trinity’s thriving Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies.

In addition to the academic position, the agreement also provides an administrator and a programme of visiting academics and members of the Turkish arts and cultural community.

The Yunus Emre Institute (Turkish: Yunus Emre Enstitüsü) is a world-wide, non-profit organisation created by the Turkish government in 2007. It is named after the famous 14th-century poet Yunus Emre and aims to promote Turkish culture around the world.

The study of Turkish language and cultural history forms an important part of Trinity’s new degree programme in Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures, which is also offered as a Dual Degree with Columbia University. Students on these courses have the option of studying for a period in a range of Turkish universities.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Zuleika Rodgers, said: “This initiative is particularly welcome as we develop new programmes that include the study of Turkey’s history and the central role it plays in the cultural encounter between Europe and the Middle East.”

“The partnership will also promote engagement with the public through cultural and artistic events.”