Camden Conference -- "How Populism Works in Erdogan's Turkey"

This talk explores how Erdoğan’s increasing reliance on populist discourse and style throughout his tenure contributed to the rise of an authoritarian regime sustained by popular support. It highlights how the performative and emotional dimensions of these strategies can help autocratic leaders garner support and reinforce their perceived authenticity, particularly when their legitimacy is under threat.

Senem Aslan is professor of Politics at Bates College. She is the author of Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. She recently completed a book manuscript on populism and the politics of emotions in Turkey.

This program will take place in person, in the Androscoggin Community Room.  Registration is requested for our planning purposes.  Register below or call the Reference Desk at 207-333-6640, ext. 4.

The Camden Conference was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues.

The 2026 conference, Today's Middle East: Power, Politics, and Players, "will explore how traditional and emerging powers are reshaping relationships and testing alliances across this globally vital region." "The Middle East region remains one of the world’s most intractable trouble spots. It is a volatile arena where regional powers, global interests, and local aspirations intersect in ever-evolving and often violent ways."

The 2026 Camden Conference will take place on February 20-22, 2026, and will be in person in Camden, Maine (two additional satellite venues: Strand Theatre in Rockland, Maine; Lunt Auditorium in Falmouth, Maine; + available to livestream worldwide). 

For more details on this Conference, visit their website at camdenconference.org.