This February 23, the Sakıp Sabancı Center is excited to host a panel organized by Murat İplikçi, a 2023-2024 Sakıp Sabancı Postdoctoral Fellow, entitled “Unveiling the Turkish Business Landscape Since the Republic.”
This event unites three scholars, each focusing on the landscape of business history in Turkey. Together, they will present their latest research, exploring the relations between business groups, governments, corporate foundations, and foreign advisors within the Turkish context.
- Ayşe Buğra (Boğaziçi University) will discuss "Politics and Business in Turkey: A Historical Overview of Continuity and Change."
- Behlül Üsdiken (Özyeğin University) will present on "Improving" Management and Administration in Turkey for the Business Community to Support Foreign Aid Initiatives, 1962-1980: TSİD, SİGM, SİEV
- Murat İplikçi will discuss "US Commercial Diplomacy Towards Turkey: Ambassador George C. McGhee’s Role in the Privatization of the Oil Business in the 1950s."
- The discussant for the panel will be Devrim Adam Yavuz (Lehman College).
Ayşe Buğra will talk about the autonomous economic structures in Turkey, providing insights into how Turkish business groups perceive and evaluate these structures. Behlül Üsdiken's focus will be on the Ford Foundation's endeavors and support in "developing management" within Turkey from 1952 to 1980. Murat İplikçi will focus on the influential role played by US ambassador and businessman George McGhee in shaping the 1954 law that privatized oil exploration in Turkey.
This panel offers distinct perspectives and addresses various facets of business history in Turkey. Presentations aim not only to enrich our understanding of historical developments but also to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding the concept of Business History, through the lens of Turkey.
This HYBRID event will be accessible both in-person and online, starting at 12:30 EST. For both types of attendance, please register using this LINK.
