Elizabethtown College Professor Presents Research on Eastern Europe at Global Conference

Elizabethtown College Professor of Political Science, Endowed Chair of International Studies Oya Dursun-Özkanca recently presented research at the 2023 Annual Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities at Columbia University and was awarded the title of Social Media Ambassador for Conference Outreach.

Dursun-Özkanca was announced the winner of the Social Media Ambassador for Conference Outreach Award due to her tweets promoting the conference, which brings together scholars of Eastern Europe and Russia.

Dursun-Özkanca presented her research on the Eastern Mediterranean balance of power and its repercussions for transatlantic security. Her interest in Eastern Mediterranean politics has deep roots and was the subject of her 2020 book, “Turkey-West Relations: The Politics of Intra-alliance Opposition.”

Now, Ozkanca is preparing to write her third book, and examining the comparative foreign policies of four North Atlantic Treaty Organization members (Turkey, France, Greece, and the U.S.). She compiled the research she gathered into a paper and presented the research at the conference. Ozkanca uses her expertise to inform her teaching and course material.

“Teaching courses on the topics of my research provide wonderful experiences for my students and helps me engage in a give-and-take with my students,” Dursun-Özkanca said. “Etown has always been very supportive of my research through faculty research grants.”

This year was the first in-person meeting of the Association for the Study of Nationalities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

About the Association for the Study of Nationalities
The Association for the Study of Nationalities is the largest multidisciplinary international scholarly community in the field of nationalism and ethnicity studies. Their mission is to promote knowledge and understanding of ethnicity, ethnic conflict, and nationalism studies. Their focus is on Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Eurasia. Their annual convention at Columbia University features more than 150 panels, and they host regular European conferences.