The Seminar was held between IFEA (the French Institute of Anatolian Studies) and the Department of Sociology as a part of the second series of seminars entitled "Humanities and Social Sciences Colloquium II" organized by the Department of Sociology of Istanbul Technical University. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Doğan Gürpınar examined the patterns of name-giving in 20^th Century Turkiye and how the event relates to the country’s trajectory towards modernity in the talk and paper entitled “The Meanings of Names: Promise of Modernity, Upper Mobility and Nation in Republican Turkey”.

As a part of Humanities and Social Sciences Colloquium II, which was organized by the ITU Department of Sociology and IFEA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Doğan Gürpınar examined the patterns of name-giving in 20^th century Turkiye. The study suggests that names in Turkiye reflect personal hopes and expectations while also amalgamating them with national aspirations, including promises of upward mobility and cultural exchange. Names are shown to be intertwined to political and national realms with personal realms negotiating the two.

The study tracks name-giving trends in Turkiye through decades and offers an entwined cultural, social and political history of Modern Turkiye at a personal level. It highlights the role of names in negotiating the complex interplay between individual aspirations and national identity. By examining the name-giving practices, the study offers insights into Turkey’s social, cultural and political evolution over the 20^th century.