Welcome to the Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies!
The Kemal H. Karpat Center advances UW-Madison’s tradition of excellence across the diverse fields that constitute Turkish Studies. We offer funding opportunities for current UW students and events for students, faculty, and the Madison-area community.
17th century Miniature Painting, Newroz celebrations, Istanbul (Nakkaş Osman)
ABOUT US
The Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies at UW-Madison brings together faculty, staff, students, and visiting scholars to promote excellence in the study of Turkish history and society, including Ottoman studies and Turkish diaspora studies.
18th century Feast of Janissaries Miniature (Seyyid Vehbi)
FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, & SCHOLARSHIPS
The Karpat Center provides funding for UW-Madison students whose research interests are within the scope of Turkish Studies.
STUDY ABROAD IN TURKEY
The Karpat Center is interested in supporting faculty who wish to work with International Academic Programs (IAP) to develop a Study Abroad Program in Istanbul.
Upcoming Events
A Talk by Golnar Nikpour (Dartmouth College), an expert in Middle East history, on her new book The Incarcerated Modern: Prisons and Public Life in Iran (2024)
“The Making of the Carceral State in Modern Iran”
November 13, 2025 | 12:00–2:00 p.m. | Pyle Center Room 313
Professor Golnar Nikpour has written extensively on Iranian and Middle Eastern history. Through original and wide-ranging research, her new book investigates Iran’s prison system, arguing that it is the foundational institution of Iranian political modernity. Nikpour connects mass incarceration in Iran to global carceral practices, offering a new history of imprisonment and its implications for citizenship, freedom, and political belonging.
This talk is co-sponsored by the Karpat Center for Turkish Studies.
KARPAT GRADUATE STUDENT SOCIETY OF KEMAL H. KARPAT CENTER FOR TURKISH STUDIES
presents
KARPAT TALKS
FALL 2025 (NOVEMBER)
by
BARTU ERSEN
Department of Sociology
“Beyond the Pitch: Changing Narratives of Professionalism in Men’s Professional Soccer”
📅 Friday, November 14, 2025
🕐 1:00 PM-2:00 PM US CT
In-person and Online:📍 Memorial Union - Zoom
Upcoming Workshop:
Migration and Memory in Postwar and Contemporary Europe
November 14, 2025 | Pyle Center Room 313
website
Of particular interest among other presentations:
Panel 3 (2:00–3:00 p.m.): Michelle Kahn, “Racism in Hitler’s Shadow: Turkish Challenges to West German Holocaust Memory Culture in the 1980s.”
Note: The organizers request advance registration for those who wish to stay for lunch.