Dr. Ahmet Erdi Öztürk is a Reader in the School of Social Sciences and Professions.
Dr A Erdi Öztürk
Ahmet Erdi Öztürk is a political scientist and scholar of International Relations specialising in Middle Eastern politics, with more than ten years of experience in UK and European higher education. His research focuses on the interaction between domestic political change, foreign policy, religion, state institutions, and regional order, with particular expertise on Turkey and its relations with the wider Middle East, the Gulf, and Southeast Europe.
He approaches the region comparatively and through a Global South perspective, examining authoritarian resilience, political polarisation, religion–state relations, migration and diaspora politics, security and militarisation, state capacity, legitimacy, and the changing political economy of regional power. A central strand of his research explores how domestic political transformations shape the international behaviour of states and how regional and global geopolitical shifts, in turn, reshape institutions, political actors, and policy choices.
His work brings together comparative politics, foreign policy analysis, International Relations, and Middle Eastern Studies, while maintaining a strong interest in transnational politics and the circulation of ideas, institutions, and political practices across borders. His research combines theoretically informed scholarship with sustained empirical engagement. Methodologically, he employs comparative case studies, elite interviews, policy and discourse analysis, survey research, mixed methods, and increasingly computational and data-driven approaches.
He has conducted extensive research with political elites, policymakers, diplomats, religious institutions, civil-society actors, and other stakeholders across Europe, Turkey, and the wider Middle East. Another defining feature of his academic profile is a strong commitment to public engagement and research impact. He regularly engages with governments, embassies, international organisations, think tanks, journalists, and policy practitioners, translating academic research on Middle Eastern politics and international affairs into policy briefings, commissioned research, public commentary, and stakeholder-oriented outputs.
Over the course of his academic career, he has authored or edited 17 books, published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, and secured or contributed to research funding exceeding €400,000. His work has received more than 2,600 citations, with an h-index of 23 and an i10-index of 50, and has been recognised through a range of research and publication awards.
Alongside his research, he has substantial experience in teaching and supervising students in International Relations, Middle Eastern politics, religion and politics, foreign policy, and comparative politics, as well as in developing international academic networks and collaborative research initiatives.
Research interests
- Politics of middle
- Religion and global politics
- Nationalism
- Theories of nationalism
- Ethnicity and identity
- East-Southeast Europe and continental Europe
- Comparative political regimes
- Politics of power and identity
- Religion and global politics
- Democratisation and authoritarianism
- Religious movements
- Institutions and political parties
- Religion and conflict resolution
- Foreign policy analysis
- New diaspora movements
Erdi’s research interests include:
- religion and global politics
- history of contemporary Turkey
- politics of the Middle East, Europe and the Balkans
- theories of international relations and democratisation
- migration and kin policies
He would welcome any research applications in these areas.
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Books
2028
Survival, Strategic Autonomy, Status: Turkey’s Defence Industry in a Changing World Order. Edinburgh University Press. Under contract.
2027
Peace Without a Peace Process? Elite Bargaining and the Quest for a Terror-Free Türkiye. Edinburgh University Press. In production.
The Routledge Handbook of Turkish Politics. Co-edited with Alpaslan Özerdem. Routledge. In production.
Measuring the Waning Empire: Public Diplomacy and the Resilience of US Influence in Africa. With Bülent Aras and Alpaslan Özerdem. Oxford University Press. Under contract.
From Atatürk to Erdoğan: Leadership and the Making of Modern Turkey. Co-edited with İhsan Dağı. Palgrave Macmillan. Under contract.
2026
Foreign Policy in Turkey’s Second Century: Axes of Competition, Contestation and Cooperation. Co-edited with Alpaslan Özerdem. Edinburgh University Press. In production.
Transnationalisation of Turkish Islam: Authority, Legitimacy, and Influence Beyond Borders. Routledge.
Anti-Westernism and Conspiracy Theories. Co-edited with İhsan Dağı. Palgrave Macmillan.
2025
Turkey’s Diaspora Governance: Policies from the Past to the Present. Co-edited with Bahar Baser and Hakkı Taş. Routledge.
2023
A Companion to Modern Turkey’s Centennial: Political, Social, Economic and Institutional Transformations Since 1923. Co-edited with Alpaslan Özerdem. Edinburgh University Press.
An Exodus from Turkey: Tales of Migration and Exile. With Bahar Baser. Edinburgh University Press.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the New Republican People’s Party in Turkey. With Hakan Yavuz. Palgrave Macmillan.
2022
Turkey and the Balkans: Perspectives on the Processes of Europeanisation and De-Europeanisation. Routledge.
2021
Religion, Identity and Power: Turkey and the Balkans in the Twenty-First Century. Edinburgh University Press.
Erdoğan’s Turkey: Islamism, Identity and Memory. Co-edited with Hakan Yavuz. Routledge.
2019
Islam, Populism and Regime Change in Turkey: Making and Re-Making the AKP. Routledge.
2017
Authoritarian Politics in Turkey: Elections, Resistance and the AKP. Co-edited with Bahar Başer. I.B. Tauris.
Edited Special Issues
2027
“Navigating the Recent Civilizational Turn in the Shifting International Order: Insights from Turkey.” Turkish Studies. Co-edited with Umut Can Adisonmez. Under contract.
2026
“Populism: Mediterranean Perspectives.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. Co-edited with Guy Ben-Porat and Dani Filc. In production.
2025
“Turkish Foreign Policy and Ontological (In)Security: Historical Trajectories, Contemporary Dynamics, and Theoretical Reflections.” Alternatives. Co-edited with Başak Alpan.
2023
“New Actors and New Policies in Turkey’s Diasporic Landscapes.” Middle East Critique.
“Religious Soft Power: Definition(s), Limits and Usage.” Religions. Co-edited with Jeffrey Haynes.
2022
“Turkey and the Balkans: Perspectives on the Processes of Europeanisation and De-Europeanisation.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.
2021
“Conducting Research on Muslims.” International Journal of Religion, 1(2). Co-edited with Deina Abdelkader.
2020
“Politics of Religious Dissent.” International Journal of Religion, 1(1). Co-edited with Jeffrey Haynes and Eric M. Trinka.
“Erdoğan’s Turkey.” Middle East Critique, 29(3). Co-edited with Hakan Yavuz.
2019
“Islam, Populism and Regime Change in Turkey: Making and Re-Making the AKP.” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 19(1).
2018
“The Future of the Gülen Movement: Decline in Exile or Phoenix from the Ashes?” Politics, Religion & Ideology, 19(1).
“Religion as a Foreign Policy Tool: Scrutinising the Multi-Dimensional Roles of Turkey’s Diyanet Abroad.” European Journal of Turkish Studies. Co-edited with Samim Akgönül.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
2027
“Politics at the Family Table: Election-Driven Family Conflicts and Cut-Offs in Türkiye.” With Bülent Aras and Can Selçuki. Electoral Studies. Under review.
- 2022 Distinguished Emerging Scholar award from the International Studies Association's (ISA) Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Studies (ENMISA) section
- 2020 European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships, Horizon
- 2020 Framework Programme (97 out of 100). (224 933.76 EUR--between 2021 February-2023 February)
- Conference Travel Grant to cover costs of speaking at the International Studies Association (ISA), Annual Convention Hawaii. (720 Dollars). Research Grant of London Metropolitan University, Internal Grant (1000 Pounds).
- 2019 Swedish Institute Research Grant Swedish-Turkish Research Programme (252.000 SEK). Conference Travel Grant to cover costs of speaking at the International Studies Association (ISA), Annual Convention Toronto. (720 Dollars).
- 2018 Swedish Institute Research Grant, Swedish-Turkish Research Programme (180.000 SEK). Conference Travel Grant to cover costs of speaking at the International Studies Association (ISA), Annual Convention San Francisco. (750 Dollars)
- 2017 Conference Travel Grant to cover of speaking at Buffett Institute for Global Studies, Keyman 2017 Annual Conference. (1.500 Pounds) Gladstone Library Writing Retreat Grant, The Ernest Walder Memorial Scholarship.
- Conference Travel Grant to cover costs of speaking, The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Annual Convention. (1000 Pound)
- Research grant to conduct field work, University of Strasbourg, DRES-CNRS. (3.000 Euros)
- Conference Travel Grant to cover costs of speaking at the International Studies Association (ISA), Annual Convention 2017, Baltimore. (750 Dollar)
- 2016 Field Work Travel Grant, University of Strasbourg, DRES-CNRS. (4.000 Euros)
- 2019-present Middle East Expert in Wikistrat Crowdsourced Consulting
- 2016-present EUREL (Social and Legal Data on Religions in Europe) Correspondent.
- 2020-present Associate Researcher (Chercheur Associé) at Institut Français d'Études Anatoliennes
- Non-Resident Scholar, Turkey Programme, ELIAMEP (The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy)
- 2020 Interviewed by East and West, “Turkey’s imams in Europe are more valuable than diplomats”
- Interviewed by BalkanInsight, “Turkish Religious Authority’s Budget Soars as Economic Crisis”
- Interviewed by BalkanInsight, “After a Cleric’s Demise, Turkish Religious Groups Scrap for State Spoils”
- Interviewed by, Arab-News, “French schools in Turkey on sharky ground”
- Interviewed by, Arab-News, “Turkey faces rises in brain drain over political and economical concerns”
- Interviewed by, Brit-Is Yasam TV, Hagia Sophia Decision of Turkey
- Interviewed by BalkanInsight, “Turkey’s Deep-Pocketed Religious Authority Becomes Erdogan Tool”