Born in London to a Turkish mother and British father, Alev Scott moved to Istan
bul to discover what it means to be Turkish in a country going through rapid pol
itical and social change, with an extraordinary past still linked to Mustafa Kem
al Ataturk and an ever more surprising present under the leadership of Recep Tay
yip Erdogan. From the European buzz of modern-day Constantinople to the Arabic-s
peaking towns of the south-east, Turkish Awakening investigates mass migration,
urbanisation and economics in a country moving swiftly towards a new position on
the world stage. This is the story of discovering a complex country from the ou
tside-in, a candid account of overturned preconceptions and fresh understanding.
Relating wide-ranging interviews and colourful personal experience, the auth
or charts the evolving course of a country bursting with surprises - none more d
ramatic than the unexpected political protests of 2013 in Taksim Square, which h
ave brought to light the emerging demands of a newly awakened Turkish people. Ma
ss migration, urbanisation and a growing awareness of human rights have changed
the social, economic and physical landscapes of a powerful country, and the 2013
protests were just one indication of the changes afoot in today's Turkey. Threa
tened as it is by recent developments in Syria and Iraq and the approaching dang
er of ISIS.
