Between two Continents: Röpke’s Years in Istanbul

This study firstly aims to investigate Röpke’s works during his years at the University of Istanbul (1933-1937) through the analysis of his publications in the Turkish language, and secondly to provide an understanding of the importance of that period for the development of his thought. The article starts with a description of the circumstances that brought him to Turkey and provides information about his activities at the University of Istanbul. Attention is devoted to understanding the complicated relationship between Röpke and his host country: his experience in Istanbul was certainly fascinating for him, and he contributed much to the university, but surprisingly his references to his life in Istanbul are very few and his influence on Turkish academia and culture was very limited. Sections two and three present an analysis of Röpke’s essays in Turkish, most of which were never published in another language. Some of these works are basically unknown and have never been analyzed in academic literature. During his stay he wrote three textbooks, among them there is a book on the history of economic thought which is Röpke's only comprehensive work in this discipline. Articles written by Röpke for Turkish journals are also examined in the study, focusing in particular on his ideas about the Turkish economy and his ideas about the Turkish leader Atatürk. The conclusion is an attempt to examine the intellectual relationship between Röpke and Alexander Rüstow and makes a hypothesis about the importance of their years in Turkey for their project to renew liberalism.