Ali Erken's monograph examines U.S. philanthropic activities in republican Turkey and provides an original account of U.S.-Turkish relations during the 20th century, the study of which has hitherto remained mostly within the framework of diplomatic history. Focusing on the activities of the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations along with Robert College in Istanbul, the book seeks to explore how “American philanthropy complemented the political vision of Turkish ruling elite in the making of modern Turkey” and to reveal “the key tools and strategies of this philanthropic contribution to the cultural and technological transformation of Turkey,” especially after the end of World War II (p. 1).
The book opens with an introduction that briefly outlines the history of U.S.-Turkish relations from its beginnings in the mid-19th century to the early 1970s. According to Erken, although the initial U.S. initiatives in the Ottoman Empire were driven by an evangelical zeal to spread Protestantism,...