Senem Aslan

Senem Aslan is a Professor of Politics at Bates College, affiliated with the Politics department. She holds a Ph.D. in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Bogazici University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University's Department of Near Eastern Studies (2008–2010).

Her research focuses on Middle Eastern politics, nationalism, state-building, and the role of emotions in political mobilization and legitimation in Turkey and the region. She authored Nation-Building in Turkey and Morocco: Governing Kurdish and Berber Dissent (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and publishes in journals like the International Journal of Middle East Studies and Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.

Teaching includes courses on state-society relations, emotions and politics, and state development. She has been recognized with a 2024 faculty promotion and tenure at Bates.