Resistance In Turkey Research Articles

Tweeting the academic resistance in Turkey and Hungary: from cultural crisis to defending the nation

ABSTRACT This paper explores the reemergence of universities as spaces for the contestation of government policies in an era of illiberalism, rising nationalism and populism. We focus on high-profile contestations occurring at two public universities in Turkey and Hungary: Boğaziçi University and the University of Theatre and Film Arts, respectively. At both universities, attacks on democratic governance and liberal-democratic values have resulted in academic resistance that have played out on physical campuses and in online spaces. We conceptualise a virtual space as a space of contestation and analyse social media data to identify the dominant narratives of governments and their supporters on one side and resistance supporters on the other that gives the way to two major narratives: while right-wing imaginaries and pro-government actors frame the liberal and pro-freedom inclinations of universities as a ‘threat’ to the nation, students and faculty portray the government as the true threat to their rights and freedoms and knowledge production within what was once a ‘safe space’ in universities, thus framing themselves as the ‘true guardians’ of their institutions. Our analysis shows how universities have become contemporary flashpoints in and upon which broader political contestations over national culture play out.

Türkiye'deki Diş Hekimlerinin Antibiyotik ve Profilaksi Bilgilerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Introduction: Inappropriately prescribed antibiotics accelerate the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This circumstance creates a problematic situation in terms of public health. This study aims to measure dentists' antibiotic/prophylaxis knowledge and awareness of antibiotic resistance in Turkey based on two case scenarios.
 Materials Methods: Dentists in Turkey are invited by open invitation posts on various social media applications for our twelve-question online survey. The scoring was shaped based on answers to measure antibiotic/prophylaxis knowledge. The collected data were statistically analyzed by SPSS Statistics 22.
 Results: 321 participants answered all questions included in the study. The statistical analyses showed a significant difference in the evaluations according to gender, title, graduation time, and workplace.
 Conclusion: Inappropriate antibiotic prescription by dentists is common in Turkey. Dentists should receive more undergraduate lessons, and taking reminder antibiotic courses at regular intervals after graduation can contribute to keeping their knowledge up to date.

Eventocracy, Affective Supremacy and Resistance in Turkey’s Captured Media Ecology

Abstract The Turkish government has captured media to build ‘eventocracy’, a regime of ‘ruling by event’ to manage public attention and disrupt politics. Eventocracy strives for affective supremacy, a mode of political-emotional domination where the ruling AKP positions itself as the self-righteous national power. Through a chain of events, it casts the opposition’s grievances as national threats. Two specific events, the Roboski Massacre and the Kabataş Incident, demonstrate how the government has mobilized bitter arguments and sensational narratives with often sexist and ethnicist undertones of supremacy to affectively deplete the opposition. In response, narratives produced by citizens in low-budget street interviews and rap artists in songs contest this affective supremacy, revealing that institutional media capture remains fragile at best. Reframing media capture through affect helps us rethink the state as a key media producer and performer of political crises while questioning fact-checking as an oppositional style across authoritarian contexts.

“Whatever They Say I Do the Opposite”: Vaccine Resistance in Turkey During the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Following a 2015 ruling in the Turkish Supreme Court, vaccine resistance has increased significantly in Turkey. Where childhood vaccination was once compulsory, it is now voluntary, enabling the transformation of Turkish lay medical culture. This medical culture rose in political importance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, little is known about vaccine hesitancy and resistance in Turkey, and the interconnections with the wider political atmosphere in the country. We draw upon fieldwork conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the rationales behind people’s vaccination choices. We argue that vaccines encouraged by the state offer citizens opportunities for individuation and resistance to the more generalized coercive practices of the Turkish state.

P03-12 Public knowledge attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use and resistance in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey

P03-12 Public knowledge attitudes and practices regarding antibiotic use and resistance in Turkey: a cross-sectional survey

Men’s Rights Activism and Anti-Feminist Resistance in Turkey and Norway

AbstractThis article, by addressing the growing anti-feminist activism and mobilization and its consequences for gender equality and women’s rights, sheds light on anti-feminist resistance in Turkey and Norway. Using the concept of counter movement, we study men’s rights mobilization in Turkey and Norway, two countries with different histories and realities of women’s rights and gender equality. We first compare how the respective men’s rights movements emerged in response to, or parallel with, the advances of women’s movements. Investigating mass media and social media content from the most prominent contemporary men’s rights groups in each country provides a qualitative comparative analysis of men’s rights mobilization. Men’s rights groups in Turkey and Norway share many of the same concerns, but while men’s rights activists in Turkey challenge gender equality and defend the traditional family, in Norway, men’s rights activism is a masculinist co-optation of the gender equality discourse.

Investigation of pncA, rpsA and panD Gene Mutations Associated with Resistance in Pyrazinamide-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates and Spoligotyping

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is one of the first-line anti-tuberculous drugs used in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Considering the ability of PZA to shorten the treatment period from 9-12 months to six months by eliminating persistent bacilli, it appears to be an important cornerstone of TB therapy. While the main mechanism causing the PZA resistance is pncA mutations at a rate of 70-97%, it has been determined that rpsA and panD mutations can also cause resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the pncA, rpsA and panD gene mutations, the efficiency of the pyrazinamidase (PZAse) enzyme test in determining PZA resistance, the drug susceptibility and their families in PZA-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. Totally 46 PZA resistant M.tuberculosis isolates were included in the study. The pncA, rpsA and panD mutations caused by PZA resistance were investigated by in-house PCR followed by DNA sequencing method. Drug susceptibility was determined with Bactec MGIT 960 (Becton Dickinson, USA) system, the presence of PZAse was evaluated by colorimetric PZAse enzyme assay and the families were determined by the spoligotyping method. Of the 46 PZA-resistant isolates, 24 (52.2%) were identified as PZA monoresistant, 11 (23.9%) multidrug resistant (MDR)-TB and 11 (23.9%) poly drug resistant (PDR)-TB. Gene mutations associated with resistance were detected in 73.9% (34) of PZA-resistant M.tuberculosis isolates. The pncA, rpsA and panD mutations were found in 71.7% (33), 28.2% (12) and 4.3% (2) of the isolates, respectively. The coexistence of pncA/rpsA and pncA/panD gene mutations were determined in 12 and two isolates, respectively. The pncA gene mutations were observed in 3 (33.3%) of 9 (19.6%) isolates whose enzyme presence was detected by the colorimetric PZAse test. In the pncA gene, eight different point mutations in the form of missense mutation;A226C (27.3%), A152C (24.2%), C169G (21.2%) A422C (9.1%), G145A (6.1%), A29G (6.1%), A424G (3%) and T464G (3%) were detected. In the rpsA gene, A636C (42.9%) silent and G1318A (42.9%) missense mutations and in the panD gene, C66G (50%) nonsense and A145G (50%) missense mutations were the most common mutations detected. As a result of genotyping of PZA resistant isolates, the most common genotypes were found in T1 cluster with 17 (36.9%) isolates; followed by the families of Beijing with 7 (15.2%) isolates, H3 with 6 (13%) isolates, TUR with 5 (10.9%) isolates, and LAM 9 with 4 (8.7%) isolates, respectively. In addition, 2 (4.3%) isolates belonging to the ORPHAN family and one isolate belonging to each of LAM TUR, LAM 2, LAM 7, T2, T5-RUS1 families were identified. Our study is the first to investigate all pncA, rpsA and panD gene mutations that have been found to cause PZA resistance in Turkey. Epidemiological studies on PZA resistance will make important contributions to the determination of resistance mechanism and the development of methods that will provide rapid diagnosis for the detection of resistance.

The right to urban public space and aesthetic dissensus for democratic citizenship

In the last three decades, across the world, there have emerged mass movements, uprisings and revolts targeting neo-liberal global capitalism and its radical reorganization of urban hierarchies. As a result, cities have become the central stage for sociopolitical struggles. While the scholarship on new social movements has recognized the aesthetic potential of political organizing since the beginning of the anti-globalization movement in 1999, new approaches are needed to understand the aesthetic dissensus of contemporary activism within the urban space. This article theorizes aesthetics as a potentially radicalizing force in proposing a democratic citizenship in the city. Indebted to the theories of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, James Holston, Mark Purcell and Jacques Rancière, it discusses the new synthesis of political and aesthetic forms, action and experience in urban social movement praxis. Taking Gezi Park resistance in Turkey (2013) as a case study, it seeks to understand the relationship of activist aesthetics to changing practices and conceptions of citizenship.

Molecular and phenotypical investigation of ciprofloxacin resistance among Campylobacter jejuni strains of human origin: high prevalence of resistance in Turkey.

Campylobacteriosis is one of the most frequently reported zoonoses worldwide. The well-documented increase in the ciprofloxacin resistance has increased the importance of rapid detection of the resistance. The incidence of ciprofloxacin resistance was investigated using real-time PCR. Identification of one hundred and fifty-eight strains was performed by PCR. Minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) of ciprofloxacin was determined by Epsilometer test. Following the confirmation of the efficiencies of singleplex real-time PCR methods using two different probes, a cytosine to thymine point mutation at codon 86 was detected by allelic discrimination. Of the 158 strains, 114 (72.2%) were determined to be resistant to ciprofloxacin. The MIC50 and the MIC90 of ciprofloxacin were found to be 8 and ≥32mg/L, respectively. By real-time PCR, the presence of the mutation was confirmed in all, but one, resistant strains and the absence of the mutation was demonstrated in all, but one, susceptible strains. The rate of resistance is high among C.jejuni strains and ciprofloxacin should not be used in the treatment of such infections in Turkey. A cytosine to thymine mutation is the most frequently detected mechanism for the resistance. Real-time PCR can be used for the quick screening of the resistance.

Popular Music and Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis. Ideology, Control and Resistance in Turkey Since 2002, by Lyndon C. S. Way

This article reviews Popular Music and Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis. Ideology, Control and Resistance in Turkey Since 2002 978-1-3500-1644-6978-1-3500-1645-3978-1-3500-1646-0

Antibiotic overconsumption and resistance in Turkey

Abstract In its latest Health Policy Studies report, OECD stated that the highest rates of antimicrobial resistance (around 35% in Turkey, Korea and Greece) were seven times higher than the lowest rates among its member countries in 2015. As the OECD country with the highest resistance (38.8%) despite a 15-year hospital antibiotic restriction programme, Turkey is in urgent need of revising its policies and drawing an effective action plan to reverse the current trend. In this commentary, we review previous measures taken to tackle antimicrobial overuse and resistance in Turkey and discuss their effectiveness.

A Retrospective Analysis of Anaerobic Bacteria Isolated in 236 Cases of Pleural Empyema and their Prevalance of Antimicrobial Resistance in Turkey.

Parapneumonic effusions usually occur secondary to an infection and produce pus (empyema) that accumulates in the pleural space. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anerobes in patients with empyema and to assess their resistance patterns for seven antimicrobials. Pleural fluid specimens from 236 patients were inoculated on Schaedler agar. Anaerobic bacteria were identified via API 20 A. Susceptibility testing for penicillin, ampicillin + sulbactam, amoxicillin + clavulanate, cefoxitin, clindamycin, metronidazole, and imipenem were performed with the E-test. There were 118 anaerobic bacterial strains detected in 66 (27.9%) of the 236 specimens. Gram-positive anaerobic cocci were detected in 54.23% and the predominant cocci were 41 Peptostreptococcus spp, (34.75%) followed by 17 P. acnes (14.41%) and 6 C. tertium (5.08%). The Gram-negative anaerobes were B. fragilis (28, 23.73%), P. melaninogenica (8, 6.78%), P. intermedia (4, 3.39%), F. nucleatum (6, 5.08%), F. mortiferum (5, 4.24%), and P. asaccharolytica (3, 2.54%). All anaerobic strains were susceptible to ampicillin + sulbactam, amoxicillin + clavulanate, and imipenem. The highest MIC was found to be > 256 µg/mL for penicillin in B. fragilis strains, 128 µg/mL for cefoxitin in P. melaninogenica strains, 32 µg/mL for clindamycin and 64 µg/mL for metronidazole in P. acnes strains. Clindamycin resistance was detected in 46.6% B. fragilis, and 17.6% for P. acnes. Thirty-eight (32.2%) strains produced beta-lactamase. The use of antimicrobial agents for thoracic empyema should be based on the isolated pathogens and their resistance profiles. Clinicians should be aware of the wide diversity of anaerobic genera and species in cases of pleural empyema.

Factors Related To Outpatient Antibiotic Drug Consumption In Turkey

Turkey is currently a European leader in antibiotic consumption. To fight against increasing consumption, it is necessary to understand factors related to antibiotic drug consumption. To fill this gap in the literature, this study intends to probe factors related to outpatient antibacterial drug consumption in Turkey. Data from the National Antibacterial Drug Consumption Surveillance report and the Turkish Statistical Institute were assessed. The number of physicians; socio-economic development index (SEDI); endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic disease mortality; employment; education; and geographic region were used as factors related to outpatient antibacterial drug consumption. Euclidean distance measure and complete linkage methods were used to draw a heatmap. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to visualize factors related to outpatient antibacterial drug consumption. Additionally, 81 provinces of Turkey were used as a decision-making unit in the analysis. Sensitivity analysis of province group differences in terms of study variables were examined using independent sample “t” and Chi-square (“X2”) tests. Study results revealed a close link between education and outpatient antibiotic drug consumption in Turkey. In addition, 81 provinces were categorized into two groups representing rural and urban regions of Turkey. The differences in province group sensitivity results – according to the number of physicians (t=2.522, p˂0.05); SEDI (t=4.986, p˂0.05); endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, mortality (t=3.317, p˂0.05); employment (t=1.684, p˂0.05); antibacterial drug consumption (t=6.470, p˂0.05); and education (t=3.544, p˂0.05) – were statistically significant. The study results highlight the need to raise awareness in Turkey regarding appropriate consumption of antibacterial drugs. Antibiotic awareness campaigns, consideration of increasing cost, communication among stakeholders, and strong sustainable use policies are essential to combat increasing antimicrobial resistance in Turkey.

Antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus isolates in Turkey: A meta-analysis of current studies.

In this study, a meta-analysis of Enterococcus isolates collected in 2000-2015 in Turkey and their susceptibility/resistance to antibiotics, clinical indications for initial drug treatment, and identification of alternative treatments was conducted. The meta-analysis examined antibiotic susceptibility/resistance in Enterococcus spp. isolates. The study was planned and conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Statements on antimicrobial resistance were grouped according to the antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP). The mean resistance rates of Enterococcus faecalis to vancomycin (VAN) and linezolid (LNZ) were 1.0±2.2% and 1.9±2.6%, respectively, whereas the mean resistance rates of Enterococcus faecium to VAN and LNZ were 10.3±11.3% and 2.4±0%, respectively. This study is the first meta-analysis of the resistance of clinical Enterococcus isolates in Turkey to antimicrobial agents, which is a major problem stemming from the excessive usage of antibiotics. The development of antibiotic resistance in Turkey has changed over time. To support the practice of evidence-based medicine, more notifications about Enterococcus resistance status are needed, especially notifications following ASP rules.

A First Insight into Escherichia coli ST131 High-Risk Clone Among Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Urine Isolates in Istanbul with the Use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass-Spectrometry and Real-Time PCR.

We aim to investigate, as a first insight, the presence and rates of high-risk Escherichia coli ST131 clone in Istanbul and evaluate antimicrobial resistance and CTX-M-15 production of ST131 and non-ST131 isolates. The use of MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass-spectrometry) to detect E. coli ST131 clone is also evaluated. A total of 203 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing urinary isolates from a training hospital in Istanbul were investigated. Detection of E. coli ST131 was done by MALDI-TOF MS and real-time PCR melting curve analysis. The presence of CTX-M and CTX-M-15 beta-lactamases was investigated by PCR and sequence analysis. Of the 203 isolates, 81 (39.9%) and 75 (36.9%) isolates were identified as ST131 clone by PCR and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was significantly higher among ST131 isolates. A total of 169 (83.5%) isolates produced CTX-M beta-lactamase, of which 72 (43%) were CTX-M-15. The production of CTX-M and CTX-M-15 were significantly higher among ST131 isolates. We have demonstrated, for the first time, high rates of ST131 clone among ESBL-producing E. coli isolates in Istanbul, a region with high rates of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. Further investigation of this high-risk clone and its contribution to high antimicrobial resistance in Turkey is essential. MALDI-TOF MS is a useful tool for detection of high-risk clones and associated resistance patterns, simultaneous to bacterial identification.

First-line therapy in Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy: experience of a surgical clinic.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is the world's most common infectious agent. Despite conventional therapy consisting of proton pump inhibitor (PPI), amoxicillin (AMO) and clarithromycin (CLA), approximately half of the patients remain infected. We compared the PPI-based triple therapy with quadruple treatment (BPMT) including bismuth citrate (BS), PPI, metronidazole (MET) and tetracycline (TET). Forty-three patients who used triple therapy (LAC) consisting of lansoprazole (L), AMO and CLA and 42 patients who used quadruple therapy (BPMT) for 14 days between May 2008 and November 2013 were included in the study. The LAC group included patients who received 30 mg L 2×1, 1000 mg AMO 2×1, and 500 mg CLA 2×1 for 14 days, whereas the BPMT group was designed from patients who received 600 mg BS 2×1, 40 mg omeprazole (O) 2×1 or 30 mg L 2×1, 500 mg MET 3×1 and 500 mg TET 4×1. Demographic characteristics and endoscopic findings were similar in both groups. The eradication rate was 53.4% in the LAC group and 78.5% in the BPMT group (p<0.05). Compliance problems and side effects were significantly higher in the BPMT group as compared to the LAC group (p<0.05). Due to high antibiotic resistance in Turkey, the efficacy of LAC treatment has reduced. The BPMT protocol should be kept in mind in the first line of treatment, since it provides a higher eradication rate.

Investigation of the frequency of the mutant CCR5-Δ32 allele related to HIV resistance in Turkey

To determine the frequency with which the CCR5-\Delta32 mutant allele caused resistance to HIV, which is main agent of AIDS in all geographic regions of Turkey. Materials and methods: Randomly selected human blood samples from 400 healthy individuals were collected. The polymerase chain reaction method was used to determine the CCR5-\Delta32 polymorphism and samples were screened using 2 primers. Results: The frequency of wild alleles was found to be 0.9738 and the frequency of mutant alleles was found to be 0.0262. The highest frequency of the CCR5-\Delta32 allele was found to be 0.0726 in the Central Anatolia region. The lowest frequency of the CCR5-\Delta32 allele was found to be 0.0093 in the Southeast Anatolia and the Mediterranean regions. The mutant allele was not observed in any individuals from the Marmara region. Homozygosity was not observed in terms of this mutant allele in the individuals studied. Conclusion: According to the data obtained from this study, the frequency of CCR5-\Delta32, except for in the Marmara region, showed parallelism with a decrease consistent with a north-south direction across the world. This study was conducted to determine the frequency of the CCR5-\Delta32 allele, which is important for the evaluation of samples that are representative of all the geographic regions of Turkey.

HIV-1 Subtypes and Primary Antiretroviral Resistance Mutations in Antiretroviral Therapy Naive HIV-1 Infected Individuals in Turkey

In this study, we determined the subtype distribution and the primary drug-resistant mutations in HIV-1 strains isolated from antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive patients in Turkey. The study included 117 newly diagnosed HIV-1 positive Turkish patients. HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) were identified by phylogenetic analysis (neighbor-joining method), and drug-resistant mutations were analyzed according to the 2009 World Health Organization list of surveillance drug-resistant mutations. Subtype CRFs (CRF 02_AG, CRF 01_AE, CRF 12_BF and CRF 03_AB; 47%, 55/117) and B (33.3%, 39/117) were identified as the most common occurring HIV-1 subtypes in Turkey. The patients had primary antiretroviral resistance mutations to nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors (NRTIs) (M41L, T215C, T215D, and K219Q), non-nucleoside RT inhibitors (NNRTIs; K103N), and protease inhibitors (PIs; I47V, G73S). The prevalence of overall primary antiretroviral resistance was 7.6% (9/117) in HIV-1 patients from Turkey and drug-resistant rate for NRTIs, NNRTIs, and PIs were 4.2% (5/117), 1.7% (2/117), and 1.7% (2/117), respectively. In this study, various CRFs of HIV-1 were determined, for the first time, in Turkey. The prevalence of HIV-1 primary drug-resistant mutations in ART-naive patients suggested that resistance testing should be incorporated as an integral part of HIV management, and the choice of a first-line therapy regime should be guided by the results of genotypic resistance in Turkey.

Carbapenem resistance in Turkey: Repeat report on OXA-48 in Klebsiella pneumoniae and first report on IMP-1 beta-lactamase in Escherichia coli

Meropenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates were analyzed. A total of 18 non-duplicate meropenem resistant K. pneumoniae and one E. coli isolates from hospitalized patients were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing to detect the OXA-48, IMP, VIM, and SPM-1 genes. Susceptibilities to antimicrobials were determined using an agar dilution method and E-test; beta-lactamase production was detected by double disk synergy test [Imipenem, imipenem/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)] (DDS), E-test MBL and E-test ESBL. Homology of the isolates was determined by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA typing (RAPD). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of imipenem and meropenem were 2 to 8 and 4 to > 512 mg/L for K. pneumoniae; 2 and 32 mg/L for E. coli, respectively. The isolates were resistant to all beta-lactams. The DDST was positive only for the E. coli.PCR and sequencing identified blaIMP-1 in the E. coli strain and blaOXA-48 in all K. pneumoniae isolates. RAPD -PCR indicated that spread of OXA-48 producing K. pneumoniae in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) from June, 2007 to December, 2007 was clonal. This is the first report of IMP-1-producing E. coli in Turkey, while OXA-48 carbapenemases in K. pneumoniae have been reported recently from our country. Carbapenem resistance may spread among Enterobacteriaceae via the transferable enzyme OXA-48, as well as metallo-beta-lactamases. Key words: OXA-48, IMP-1, carbapenemase, intensive care unit (ICU).

Cumhuriyet’in Dindar Kadınları [The religious women of the Republic

Social and political resistance against the unfriendly measures of the Turkish state toward religious freedoms has been widely studied. Yet beside some of the recent literature about the ban on headscarves in the ‘public sphere’ (kamusal alan), which includes state institutions as well as public and private universities, women's positions and perspectives on the resistance have been largely ignored. Although it would be unfair to characterize the literature on the Islamic resistance in Turkey as a womenfree body of works, the ways in which the literature reports the course of events or the literature’s choice of emphasis on the actors are clearly male-dominated. The Turkish sociologist Fatma K. Barbarosoglu’s book therefore fills a gap in the literature by inquiring into the earlier stages of the Islamic revival efforts in Turkey by highlighting female perspectives. This endeavor is also interesting in the sense that the Kemalist revolution presented an ‘ideal woman’ image as an embodiment of its laicist reforms. This is unlike most revolutions, which, in Nilufer Gole’s words, ‘introduce the image of an ideal man.’ Barbarosoglu’s analysis puts in the center the life stories of women who belong to a generation whose prominent members have directly or indirectly become the role models of today’s urban young women who wear the headscarf (pp. 15-16, 18). Barbarosoglu declares that the central aims of the book are (1) to reveal the language of the solidarity created by religious women in their non-governmental endeavors, and (2) make known the conditions of their struggle (p. 15). These ‘role models’ whose life stories Barbarosoglu has chosen to explore were born between 1914 and 1945. Barbarosoglu indicates that they share a collective pain (p. 11), but the ways in which they go about relieving this pain are not necessarily the same. They have encountered the state or its policies on different Cont Islam (2011) 5:211–212 DOI 10.1007/s11562-010-0122-y