The Past is Present:
Military coups and the struggle for memory in Turkey and beyond
Military coups and authoritarian regimes left deep and lasting marks on societies across the globe during the Cold War, reshaping political, social, and economic life for generations. The military regime that seized power under the banner of anti-communism in Turkey in 1980, like those across Latin America during that period, not only sought to suppress political opposition through widespread and systematic violence but succeeded in embedding authoritarian institutions whose legacies are alive today.
This panel brings together distinguished experts to explore the domestic and international dimensions of Cold War-era authoritarianism and its afterlives, examining practices of remembrance, testimony, and activism for historical justice alongside the broader geopolitics of U.S. interference abroad. By placing Turkey's experience in conversation with Latin America's, the panel will deepen our understanding of how these parallel histories continue to shape struggles for justice and memory today.
*This event is organized by the Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies in partnership with the Memory Museum for Historical Justice.*
Panelists:
Ayça Alemdaroğlu ( Associate Director of the Program on Turkey; Research Scholar, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University)
Mila Burns ( Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, Lehman College, CUNY )
Eylem Delikanlı ( Executive Director, Memory Museum for Historical Justice)
Ayse Kadioğlu ( Sakıp Sabancı Visiting Professor of Turkish Studies, Columbia University)(Moderator)
Event Details:
️Thursday, October 15, 2026
4:30 – 6:00 PM
IAB, Room 707, Columbia University
Registration is required for both Columbia and non-Columbia guest
Non-Columbia guests must register with their full names by October 13 to receive a campus access code for entry. You will receive a QR code from the email subject line “CU Guest Access.” Please bring a valid photo ID.
