Timur Hammond, assistant professor of geography and the environment, recently wrote “Placing Islam: Geographies of Connection in Twentieth-Century Istanbul” (University of California Press, 2023).

Hammond spoke with Jadaliyya about why he wrote the book. "One initial impetus for the book was my desire to bring geography’s concepts and insights into better conversation with topics in Middle East area studies," he says. "Although over a decade has passed since I started research on this topic, expanding the disciplinary connections between geography and Middle East area studies continues to be a core goal."

"At the same time," he adds, "my book’s geographical focus—the Istanbul district of Eyüp, now officially known as Eyüpsultan—also reflected a conscious choice to provide a different account of twentieth-century Turkey."

Hammond also discusses his book in a University of California Press blog post, "The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Istanbul."