The Award is named in honor of Talal Asad, one of the most distinguished and esteemed anthropologists of our time. An unconventional thinker, Talal Asad’s works and ideas have inspired scholars across multiple disciplines, and contributed greatly to shaping the landscape of Anthropology, Sociology and the Humanities and Social Sciences at large.
The Talal Asad Award for the Best Master Thesis aims to honor and carry forward his rich, vibrant and critical tradition of thinking in our department.
Award Highlights:
Eligibility: All MA theses in the Sociology Department defended before occurrence of Sociology Days in 2026 are eligible.
Jury Composition: A committee of three jury members will review the nominations, focusing on academic excellence as the criterion for the award.
The Jury
Prof. Mücahit Bilici –John Jay College (Ibn Haldun University / Visiting Scholar)
Assoc. Prof. Ayşe Güç- Ankara Social Sciences University
Dr. Şeyma Ayyıldız – Boğaziçi University
| Year | Award Winner< | Thesis Title | Supervisor |
| 2024 | Akbar Mohammadi Kahrizeh | The Politics of Religiosity and Secularism: Narratives from the West Azerbaijan, Iran | Prof. Ramazan Aras |
| 2023 | Zahide Şeyda Karabatak | Changing Experiences of Marriage and Masculinity in Turkey: Turkish Men’s Transnational Marriages to Indonesian Women in the Black Sea Region | Prof. Ramazan Aras |
| 2022 | Büşra Coşkun | Religion, Memory, and Sense of Belonging: the Tradition of Memorization of the Qur'an in Turkey (1923-1950) | Prof. Ramazan Aras |
