DGA-Conversations: Civilisation as Politics 4. Dezember 2026

DGA Conversations
4.12.2026, 17:00–18:30 Uhr (hybrid)
ZMO Berlin (Kirchweg 33, 14129 Berlin)

Civilisation as Politics: Turkey and India in Comparison

Discussants:
Dr. Deniz T. Kılınçoğlu (Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin)
Dr. Sushmita Nath (Universität Leipzig)

Moderation:
Dr. Max Kramer (DGA board member and moderation)

In Turkey and India, governing elites increasingly describe their nations as civilisations rather than nation-states. In Turkey, appeals to an Islamic and Ottoman heritage present the country as the heir to a great civilisation. In India, Hindu nationalists speak of an ancient civilisation-state and of India as viśvaguru, a teacher to the world. Both narratives promise a return to a glorious past that was interrupted by outside domination. Both define who truly belongs to the nation and who does not, and both claim a special place in a world that is no longer centred on the West.

In this conversation, Deniz T. Kılınçoğlu and Sushmita Nath compare these two civilisational discourses. They ask where the discourses come from, how they move between scholarship, the media and the state, and what they share and where they differ. They also discuss what civilisational thinking means for minorities, for pluralism, and for democratic institutions in both countries.