Selected Works

The building that Atatürk dreamt of, where Turkey staged its first opera and where Reza Shah wept at the curtain call, has spent decades haunted by a different kind of drama: hundreds of paintings stolen, copied, distributed to bureaucrats and sold through criminal networks. A full account of one of Turkey's most remarkable institutions — and its most painful wound. Originally built in the 1920s as the headquarters of the Turkish Hearth (Türk Ocağı), this building is known as

From the British Royal Family to the United Nations, the world sent money to Turkey after the February 2023 earthquakes. For decades before that, Turkey collected a dedicated earthquake levy from its citizens. Three years on, more than 360,000 people remain in temporary housing — and those who have received new homes are paying for them in instalments. We investigate why. More than 53,000 people died and over 107,000 were injured in two earthquakes that struck southeastern Tu

Some dismiss it outright; others plan their lives around every word it offers. As its popularity accelerated, financial astrology has become an increasingly visible field. Astrologer Hande Kazanova explains what it is—and what it suggests for Turkey. Photo: Pexels/@davegarcia When people want to invest their savings, they usually turn to familiar sources. An economist on television.A market analyst on social media.A banker friend.A relative who insists Bitcoin will rise again

For Turkey, paper has long been more than a commodity—it has been a symbol of the nation’s sovereignty and ambition. Yet today, rising import costs, shuttered factories, and fluctuating exchange rates threaten a once-proud industry. The first products of the paper factory established in Izmit in the mid-1930s / Photo: AA (Archive) Paper, which dramatically changed the form of communication when it was discovered thousands of years ago, has been at the center of debates for ma

The rise of the price tags is the visible face of inflation. But there is another, quieter form of price increase happening at the same time: Packages are getting smaller while prices stay the same, or even rise. According to U.S. Government Accountability Office, c onsumers often pay 12% to 32% more for products (e.g., snacks, paper goods) because of the shrinkflation/ Photo: Reuters Where there is inflation, the products you buy from the market don't just get more expensive

Can globalization be a source of unhappiness? Helena Norberg-Hodge, a pioneer of the localization movement, spoke about the effects of globalization and the methods of a “happiness economy.” According to Hodge, people in Sweden suffer from loneliness, while many in Turkey feel unhappy because they see their economic situation as inadequate. Approximately 251 million children and youth worldwide are out of school, according to a 2024 UNESCO report/ Photo: Pexels/ Harsha Vardha

As countries accelerate their transition to renewable energy, researchers warn that the global energy system is still deeply tied to oil. But a growing movement argues that decentralised renewables could shift power—from fossil fuel states and corporations to citizens. Photo: Unsplash.com/@thomasrichter For decades, the global energy system has been shaped by oil. But the rise of renewable energy is not just about reducing carbon emissions. For some scholars and activists, it

On 11 July 2021, British billionaire Richard Branson flew to the edge of space. Nine days later, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos followed. According to Oxfam, during the 11 minutes Bezos was in space, 121 people died of hunger. In March 2026, Forbes magazine listed Richard Branson's estimated net worth at US$2,8 billion. Photo: Joe Skipper/Reuters The original space race of the 1960s was a geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. Today, the competition l

Doughnut Economics is a model developed by British academic Kate Raworth. Considered a “radical idea” just five years ago, the model is now on the radar of many urban administrations. Photo: Unsplash/@aesullivan2010 For decades, modern economics has been built on a simple promise: economies will continue to grow, and that growth will eventually reduce poverty. But according to British economist Kate Raworth, the idea that economies can expand indefinitely on a finite planet i

Hemp production, which has existed in Anatolia for centuries, was given a new regulatory framework in 2016, legalizing cultivation in 19 provinces. So where do Turkey stand today? Has the sector reached the export levels once promised? The global industrial hemp market size is projected to reach USD 27.7 billion by 2033/ Photo: Unsplash “If history were to write about humanity’s pursuit of pleasure as extensively as it does about wars, its thickest volume would likely be devo