GIGUE TALKS PRESENTS:
prof.dr. emrah safa gürkan
location
LONDON, UK
date
MONDAY, OCT 19TH 2026
8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
VENUE
21SOHO
21Soho 3-5 Sutton Row W1D 4NR
Gigue Talks proudly presents Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan
Two Hundred Years of Solitude: Turkey’s Struggle for Modernity
For the first time in London as part of Gigue Talks, Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan brings his acclaimed insights on Turkish history to a live audience with Two Hundred Years of Solitude: Turkey’s Struggle for Modernity.
How did the Ottoman Empire’s final centuries shape the Republic of Türkiye?
What forces drove this transformation?
Which challenges continue to define the country today?
Moderated by Can Soyer, this special evening brings together history, politics and social thought through the perspective of one of Türkiye’s leading historians.
Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan is also the creator and host of Omnibus, Türkiye’s most-watched educational YouTube channel, where millions follow his discussions on history, politics, literature and the social sciences.
Who is Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan?
Prof. Dr. Emrah Safa Gürkan is one of Türkiye’s leading historians, bestselling authors and public intellectuals. He studied International Relations and History at Bilkent University before earning his PhD in History from Georgetown University, specializing in the early modern Mediterranean and the Ottoman Empire.
His research focuses on diplomacy, espionage, piracy, military history and the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Europe. He has published extensively in both Turkish and international academic journals and is the recipient of several prestigious academic awards.
Beyond academia, Gürkan is widely known as the creator and host of Omnibus, Türkiye’s leading educational YouTube channel, where millions of viewers follow his discussions on history, politics, literature and the social sciences. He has also served as a historical consultant for acclaimed productions including Netflix’s Rise of Empires: Ottoman.
Who is Can Soyer?
Can Soyer is a Turkish writer, editor and publisher with a background in social anthropology. Born in Germany in 1980, he graduated from Ankara University’s Faculty of Language, History and Geography, where he studied Social Anthropology.
His essays and articles have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines and books, focusing on politics, philosophy and contemporary social thought.
He is also the co-author of Civil Society Discourse on the Left: Realities and Illusions and has contributed to several collective volumes on Marxism, neoliberalism, secularism and political theory.
Today, Soyer continues to write and contribute to public debate as an author, editor and columnist, bringing a thoughtful interdisciplinary perspective to discussions on history, politics and culture.