Berkay Koçak

About Me

As a doctoral researcher and teaching fellow, my academic focus centres on political science with a specialization in political theory and political economy. In addition to these core areas, my research interests extend to investigating topics such as the history of capitalism, the political economy and foreign policy of Turkey, and the political theory of universalism. My overarching objective is to promote the production and dissemination of rigorous scholarship that can contribute to the advancement of the method of the social history of political theory.

Current Research

Politics of Kant's UniversalismMy doctoral research is on the social history of political theory of the German Enlightenment (Aufklärung), specifically focusing on the political thought of Immanuel Kant. My dissertation, *** Kant's Universalism in Historical Context: Repoliticizing on the Foundations of a Seminal Political Discourse***, investigates the relationship between Kant's universalist philosophy and the development of social & political transformations of the Prussian state-building process towards (enlightened) absolutism. I particularly focus on the politics of Kant's universalism and analyze it in relation to the class and ideology of Bildungsbürgertum (educated professional bureaucratic class in Prussian context).Political Economy & Foreign Policy of TurkeyBeyond my research focus on the historical origins of capitalism, my scholarly pursuits have included significant investments in teaching and researching the fields of political economy and foreign policy of Turkey. My primary academic interest lies in developing a new approach to understanding the changing trends in the political economy of Turkey, specifically in the context of the transformation of neoliberalism in the post-pandemic period. Within this broad domain, I explore complex issues such as the interplay of capital accumulation and economic growth regimes, as well as the multifaceted relationship between Turkey, the European Union, and the Middle East.Reconsidering the Social History of Political Theory with Historical MaterialismI am working on reviewing historical materialism with the social history of political theory to recast the canon of political thinkers in the history of political thought with detailed analyses of their social property relations and class positions. The social history of political theory, defined as a mode of examination that regards the ' social, political and economic context of an author', instead of the contemporary context of ideas, constitutes and powerfully shapes the author's thought' (Comninel, 2018; Wood, 1984; Wood, 2008, 2012). My forthcoming study Reconsidering the Social History of Political Theory with Historical Materialism focuses on the implications of Marxism's approach to the history of political thought, analyzing the methodological debates in Political Marxism.I have a broader interest in developing an interdisciplinary methodology, building a bridge between social history, political economy, and international political thought.

Teaching

The University of Otago
Politics ProgrammeTeaching FellowPOLS310 Turkey and its Neighbours
POLS208 Democracy: Past, Present, FutureThe University of Waikato
Department of Political Science and Public PolicyTeaching FellowPOLSC101-20A Politics in the Ancient World
POLSC201-19S/20A Modern Political ThinkersSessional AssistantARTSC111-22A Social Science: Theory & Action
ARTSC106-20B (HAM) & (NET) Critical Social Science Research: The Crisis of Climate Change 2020

Education

PhD, Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Waikato, 2024Master of Science, Political Science and Public Administration at Middle East Technical University, 2017Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Public Administration (w. History minor) at Bilkent University, 2015

Recent Work

Contact

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